MWE Presents: Dark Web III (night 2)

MWE Presents: Dark Web III (night 2) Apr 6, 2021 16:06:11 GMT -6

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Post by gvb on Apr 6, 2021 16:06:11 GMT -6

MWE Presents: Dark Web III (night 2)
Live from the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, AZ
Sunday, April 4th, 2021

The Academy Pre-Show Match
Singles Match

Trinity Thompson VS Faith Savell

This might have been a last minute replacement following JJ Night’s injury, but the two students delivered one hell of a show tonight, really warming up the crowd. For those who don’t follow MWE’s developmental show and aren’t familiar with the events of the Academy, Trinity was the one who cost Faith the Gold Star at the SKW event, when she played Tiff Rollins’ theme music distracting the, at the time, champion allowing Faizah to pin her. This would justify the aggression Faith displayed in the opening moments, unleashing a flurry of kicks most of which were avoided by Trinity. This vicious side wasn’t working well for the former Gold Star, her anger driven attacks lacked precision and left her open to Thompson’s counterattacks. A leg sweep kick took Savell down, and before she could even think about getting up to her feet, Trinity was literally onto her with a double foot stomp. Trinity looked on top of her game tonight, focused and determined as never before.She easily controlled the match in the opening minutes, helped by the fact that Faith’s emotions seemed to be having the best of her and were hindering her performance. Not even five minutes into the match and Thompson was already going for the kill with her own version of Tiff Rollins’ Deathkick. Five shoot kicks to the chest of the kneeling Savell were the set up for the charging superkick to the face, avoided by Faith who slid under the bottom rope and take shelter on the outside. Trinity came soaring over the top rope with a flipping senton that earned her the applause of the Phoenix fans and took out the young Savell. Not known to be a high-flier, Thompson still went to the top rope after rolling the opponent back in the ring and jumped with a frog splash. Faith simply raised her knees to protect herself and pinned Trin with a quick roll-up, getting a count of two out of it.

As the match continued, Faith took the lead, living up to her self-appointed nickname of Star Of The Academy. Now that she found the focus she lacked in the early minutes, Savell was putting on an absolute clinic, dominating the opponent and throwing her around like a ragdoll with textbook suplexes. Every moment was so smooth, her technique bordering on perfection. Twice she came close to the win with a bridging german and a fisherman version, but Thompson was always able to kick out. It’s been minutes since the last strike delivered by Trinity, who was now struggling to escape Faith’s headlock. The blue haired girl eventually managed to get up to her feet and push the former Gold Star against the ropes. Faith bounced back with a clothesline but Trinity ducked and continued her run against the ropes. As they charged at each other, Thompson looped her arm around Faith’s neck and took her down with a sling blade. Next she dropkicked her in the face ad hooked the leg for another near fall.

All plans fell through by the end of the match, the two young women were just trading the hardest strikes in the middle of the ring, and the fans were loving it. For weeks Faith harassed Trinity and her idol Tiffany Rollins, building up frustration in the blue haired girl.Tonight she was presenting the bill for those actions, making things harder than expected for the former Gold Star. On the biggest stage, Trinity almost scored the upset of her young career when, on her second attempt, she connected the superkick. Showing great ring awareness, Faith realized she was close to the ropes and got her foot on the bottom one, breaking the count. She had the momentum, and the fans, on her side and this was pushing her in what was, without a doubt, the greatest and bravest performance she put in since joining the Academy. But no matter what she threw at Faith, the former Gold Star wasn’t staying down. She took a moment too long to soak in the adulation of the fans and when she charged at the opponent in the corner with a running big boot, Faith moved out of the way, causing Trinity to kick the turnbuckle instead and injuring her knee.. Savell was relentless in hitting her with kicks to the leg and sharp elbows to the face. Once she rocked her enough, Faith flipped her over with her patented bridging northern lights suplex, but a move that gave her most of her wins in her career so far. Tonight though, that wasn’t enough. The crowd erupted in cheers as Trinity kicked out, not believing what they were seeing in front of their eyes. Neither could Faith, but she was far from pleased. She dragged Trinity up to her feet, Thompson hit her with a knee to the stomach that doubled her over. Then she placed the former Gold Star’s head between her thighs, shocking everyone with her first piledriver ever! This had to be it right? No, once again Savell kicked out in the nick of time. Trinity was desperate, asking the referee how this could be possible. When she went to pick up Faith again, Savell surprised her with a rolling kneebar, holding the submission far after Trinity tapped out.

WINNER: Faith Savell
BY: Submission (Rolling Kneebar), 15:16

Amy Maynard: "Three pay-per-views, three wins for Faith Savell. This was, possibly, the hardest fought."

Sir Figgles: "A perfect record for the Star Of The Academy. Let me be the first one to tell you, Faith has a bright future ahead."

Amy Maynard: "You're definitely not the first one to say this, but you're right. Shout out to Trinity though, she put up an incredible fight."

Sir Figgles: "And she lost. Nobody likes a loser."

Amy Maynard: "And that's why people hate you, right?"

Sir Figgles: "Hold up a second..."

Amy Maynard: "And this is all for the preshow... Enjoy night two, ladies and gentlemen!"

Singles Match
Invictus Rules

Nina VS Echo

June 30th, 2020. Ten months ago, Echo was in the last Invictus Rules championship defending her title in a losing effort against Pierce Manning. As much as she wanted to move on from that time of her life, tonight she found herself in another match with the same rules she admitted she wasn’t a fan of, against someone trained by the same woman who coached her during her 144 days run as Invictus champion.

First Round:
They might have had the same trainer, but their styles couldn’t be any more different. Echo was hyper-aggressive from the get going, and that somehow played right in Nina’s hand. The Chicago born stayed much more loyal to the Systema and Sambo background imprinted by the former Riot General Manager and founder of Chicago Lab Yulia Kirilenko, and that made her an almost counterattack machine. Add to this that Echo’s strikes, driven by anger and desire of revenge, were predictable and imprecise, and you could see why this first round would’ve been assigned without a doubt to the Viper, unless something changed. It didn’t, and Nina asserted her dominance with her trademark side kick to the ribs after baiting the opponent into throwing a punch she easily blocked. She tried to hide it and play though, but she definitely felt that kick. You could tell it by the grimace of pain that came to her face every time she tried to dodge Nina’s attacks, and how carefully she was protecting that side of her ribcage from the Viper’s kicks. Nina didn’t seem to be in any rush, well aware that she didn’t need to knock out or submit the opponent to win. Sticking to her plan and winning the rounds by judge decision would suffice. And almost without breaking a sweat she just won the first, ending it on a high note with a bicycle knee strike to knock Echo on her back.

Judge Scores
Moretti: Nina 10-9
Maynard: Nina 10-8
Sir Figgles: Nina 10-9

Second Round:
On her way to the center of the ring to start the second round, Echo glared at Amy, questioning her judgement more severe than the other judges. Past grievances for the brutal assault suffered a few months ago? Surely Echo seemed to think that was the case, even though Amy doesn’t seem to be that kind of person who would hold a grudge. Anyway, the bell sounded and Echo was still distracted, which allowed Nina to surprise her with a fireman’s carry takedown into an elbow drop to the sternum. The Chicago born opted for a different approach in the second round, relying on her submission game to keep the Australian grounded. None of her holds looked like it could make Echo tap out, but they allowed the clock to run down toward the five minutes limit, awarding another round to the Chicago born. Echo was frustrated, her attempts to escape were constantly foiled by the crafty former intern who was fighting a smart match against the stronger opponent. Maybe it was an excess of confidence that left an opening, or perhaps it was proof that not all of Yulia’s teachings went lost, but Echo managed to disentangle herself from a leglock and trap Nina in an excruciating Heel Hook. Nina was in a world of pain, dragging herself toward the ropes. There were no rope breaks in an Invictus match, but that didn’t stop Nina to use them as leverage to turn the tides and counter the heel hook into her patented Leg Constrictor (Sambo Knee Bar). The pressure was now on Echo to try get out of the dangerous spot she suddenly found herself into, but the submission was locked in tight and getting out of it could be problematic. Luckily for her, the second round ended. Saved by the bell, literally.

Judges Scores:
Moretti: Nina 10-9
Maynard: Draw 9-9
Sir Figgles: Draw 9-9

Final Round:
The verdict of round two was, although slightly, once again in Nina’s favor. This left Echo with no choice but to knock out or submit the up to now pretty much unharmed Chicago born. Worst part, she only had five minutes to do it. Aware of that fact, she wasted no time charging before the bell could even ring, blasting Nina with a running elbow to the face. The referee issued her an official warning but the move, although improper and against the principles of the Invictus rules match, gave her a huge advantage she exploited with a tempest of strikes raining down on Nina from a mounted position. She tried to protect her head and face, but it was impossible to block all those vicious strikes, one of which busted her lips open. Echo followed with a series of suplexes and throws, manhandling the opponent for the next couple of minutes. With Nina in the corner, Echo charged in, running into a boot to the face that rocked her and left her exposed to The Viper Sting (Fedor Punch). Echo went down but quickly pulled herself up, ready to keep on fighting. Nina charged at her and the Australian caught her with an overhead belly to belly suplex, throwing the Viper into the turnbuckle. Echo then ripped off the protective pad and slammed Nina’s head onto it, a clear breach of the rules that earned her a one point penalty, as the referee informed the judges. But little did it matter, Echo ended the match with a brutal jumping knee to the back of the head, sending Nina once again against the exposed turnbuckle. The Viper was down and out.

WINNER: Echo
BY: KO, Round 3, 3:36

Peyton Holland: "Another win for Echo, the Australian has been on a roll since coming back with this new attitude."

Ambra Monroe: "This wasn't just a win, this was a statement, a message sent to Yulia."

Peyton Holland: "What do you mean, Ambra?"

Ambra Monroe: "Think about it. She challenged Yulia's student, in a match the former Riot General Manager introduced. And not only she beat Nina, but she beat her HER way. The Invictus matches have always been about fair competition, Echo purposedly broke the rules and took the penalty. She basically spat on what the Invictus rules stood for, destroying the last legacy of Yulia Kirilenko in MWE."

Backstage we find “The Woman Scorned” Kimberly Williams sitting on a bench in front of what appears to be a sharpening stone. The eccentric ginger is using this stone to sharpen the knives on her Freddy Krueger knife glove that she affectionately calls “Betty White”. Next to her on the bench is her Lizard Championship belt (which isn’t even a sanctioned title but don’t tell her that). The Dalek is stationed nearby, carrying with it a bag of other assorted “goodies”.

Kimberly Williams:
1, 2 Kimmy’s coming for you…...3, 4 better lock your door…...five six grab your crucifix...7, 8 it’s already too late...9, 10…

Williams stands up and places the glove on her hand and displays the knives menacingly.

Kimberly Williams:
...never bleed again! Get it? Cause I got knives and I’m gonna gut you and maim you until you bleed out! You get it right? It was funny, right?

The woman Scorned as she takes “Betty White” off and places it on the bench. She walks over to her precious Dalek and reaches into the bag. She produces a staple gun.

Kimberly Williams:
Now I know MWE chose not to make this a Butt Stapling Match but hey, no one says I can’t use this bad boy tonight to staple the holy hell out of you, Atti my boy! Because let me tell ya, you like to make people bleed, and so do I! So this Chicago Way championship match tonight at Dark Web III? It’s right up my alley! Right, Dalek?

Dalek:
AFFIRMATIVE!

Kimberly Williams:
Oh but I suppose I’m not playing my role properly now am I? I’m supposed to quiver in fear of Atticus Valentine. That’s the thing with me, little man, I don’t play by the rules and I damn sure refuse to become who society says I should become. And you know what I see when I see you? Just another dude named Valentine pretending to be a badass. I’ve run across plenty of Valentines in my time. There’s this one Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers type menacing Valentine. Then another Valentine who is a grouchy old man with a painted face. And now there’s you, a Valentine who wants the world to fear him because he’s a menacing bloodthirsty violent bastard.

She holds up one finger.

Kimberly Williams:
First of all, there are way too many of you Valentines running around! Something seems a bit fishy there to me, know what I mean Atti?

Williams winks. Then she holds up a second finger.

Kimberly Williams:
And second, I am just as menacing, just as bloodthirsty, and just as violent as you. Now this is normally the part where I’m supposed to make some bold claim about how I’ll beat you within an inch of your life, but I’ll Dalek do that for me, so I can just focus on going out there to the ring and enjoying a violent night of fun!

Dalek:
THE HUMAN FLESH CREATURE NAMED VALENTINE SHALL BE EXTERMINATED FOR THE GLORY OF THE DALEK EMPIRE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

Kimberly skips away with her Dalek in tow.

Chicago Way Championship Match
Barbed Wire Massacre

Atti Valentine © VS Kimberly Williams

The ropes had been replaced with barbed wire, a few weapons scattered right outside the ring had been wrapped in the same steel fencing wire. This was not going to be one for the faint of heart but then again, when had any Chicago Way championship match been? It started with a traditional collar and elbow tie up in the middle of the ring, Atti easily outpowered the Woman Scorned and whipped her against the ropes, or whatever you want to call those rows of barbed wire that took their place. Kim slid on the canvas and under them, landing on the outside without a scratch. She grabbed a chair from the floor and flung it in the ring, aiming at the champion’s face. Atticus managed to duck it and the chair landed not too far from the corner. Williams entered the ring and was met with a kick to the stomach by Atticus who wasn’t fooling around tonight. He picked the Wildcard up and violently dropped her on the canvas with a powerbomb, picking up the chair and driving it down on the ginger’s body. Kim rolled to her right and avoided the shot, then rolled to the left to dodge the third. Then she rolled back, saving herself from the third attempt as well and getting up to her feet to hit a dropkick to the chair, pushing it into Valentine’s face and drawing first blood. The cut wasn’t deep and didn’t seem to bother the Chicago Way champion too much. Actually, he dropped the chair on the canvas and kneed Kim in the gut before planting her on top of the chair with a ddt. The sharp edges tore through the Woman Scorned’s skin, causing her to bleed profusely. Despite that, the Lizard champion still kicked out of the pinning predicament.

The match continued with the Chicago Way champion firmly in control now. That deep cut was severely affecting Kimberly, who still hadn’t recovered from that nasty ddt. And things were about to get real ugly for the Wildcard. After a brief excursus on the outside, Atti slid a barbed wire board under the ropes and placed it right in the middle of the ring. He then went to pick up the redhead, grabbing a handful of hair to drag her up to her feet and hit her with a couple of stiff forearms before picking her up on his shoulders. He had all the intention to bodyslam her onto the board, but Kim managed to slip away and land behind the champion. Acting fast, the challenger placed her hand behind the champion’s head and drove him down with a bulldog. Luckily for Valentine, it wasn’t his face that was slammed into the barbed wire. That part of his body hit the canvas but his chest was driven right onto that tangle of sharpened steel. The scream of pain gave a measure of what happened, but it wasn’t until Kimberly unceremoniously pulled him free from the barbed wire that we had a clear visual of the damage done. The shirt he was wearing was ripped to shreds, revealing several on his chest under it. Williams finished the job by tearing what was left of his shirt apart and delivering a hard chop on Atti’s battered pecs before knocking him down with the Morrigan’s Wrath superkick. She was nice enough to aim away from the board, and perhaps that was the only reason why Atti kicked out in two.

Things got real messy by the end of this contest, blood was flowing copiously as you would expect it would happen when you put two crazy bastards like them in this kind of environment. Atti looked ready to audition to play Jim Caviezel’s role in a remake of The Passion Of The Christ after Kimberly shoved him back first into the barbed wire ropes, sticking the edges so deep into his skin that the referee had to basically beg Kimberly to stay away while he helped the man disentangling himself from the ropes, cautiously removing the barbed wire from his back careful not to worsen those awful looking cuts. Once the official completed the operation, Atti collapsed on his knees, looking like he was done for. Williams charged for the Shadowblade but it was a trap! Atticus was quick to grab the barbed wire steel chair and slam it on the knee of the charging opponent. Blinded by rage and the desire to inflict her the same punishment he suffered, Atti lifted the light woman over his shoulders in a gorilla press position and tossed her over the top rope and through a table set up on the outside. A “Holy Shit!” chant filled the arena as the referee left the ring to check on Kimberly. Atti took this time to recover, sitting on the mat and breathing heavily as he watched Williams trying to emerge from the wreckage of wood splinters and barbed wire. With the help of the official, the Woman Scorned managed to get back in the ring, willing to continue despite everything. Atti went to pick her up but she surprised him with a low blow! Kimberly reached her corner reaching the infamous “Kim’s Bag Of Tricks” to retrieve…

THE ULTIMATE WEAPON!

The audience gasped in shock as Kimberly took out and wore the Infinity Gauntlet… wrapped in barbed wire! The modified Gauntlet wasn’t only an aesthetic variation to fit the theme of the match, but it turned it into an even more devastating weapon. Williams snapped her fingers for theatrics before hitting Valentine with a discus punch to the head, knocking out the champion. The following cover was purely academic, a new Chicago Way champion was crowned.

WINNER: Kimberly Williams (NEW CHICAGO WAY CHAMPION)
BY: Pinfall (Discus Punch), 11:08

Sir Figgles: "You gotta love Kimberly's style!"

Amy Maynard: "It's definitely unique. And effective. Congratulations to the Woman Scorned for her first title in MWE!"

Sir Figgles: "I'm tempted to ask Grace to move me to Millennium just to be able to call the action on her matches. This is going to be the most fun Chicago Way reign in history."

Amy Maynard: "Please do... I will put a good word for you too."

The scene opens in a dimly lit barroom. Somewhere near the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. The lights were low and the music wasn’t that loud as the camera focused on the challenger to Seth Isers MWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Duke Andrews:
Seth, this is it. This is the chance you get to shut me up.

Duke raises his right hand, showing off the bourbon glass, the single circular ice cube floating in the amber liquid.

Duke Andrews:
I’m not going to rant and rave. I’m not going to sit here and explain why I feel the way about you that I do. That’s been done and said. That’s been etched in the history of this company. What I am going to do…

Duke pushes the glass to his lips and takes a long swell from the glass before setting it back down. Long are the days of the t-shirt and jeans. Now he’s wearing a custom light grey suit, with a soft blue dress shirt. His Red Wing boots traded in for a pair of thousand dollar Italian loafers.

Duke Andrews:
Ya know, a couple years back when I first met you, I was kind of intrigued as to how you had come into Kelsey's life. I mean, how her and I came to be is pretty self explanatory. But I didn’t know much about the mystique of the bearded old guy that she swore was the closest thing to a father figure. But now, I really don’t care. A lot has transpired in the last couple of years. You coming in, all because your best friend somehow landed a General Manager role in the company. Face it, you know that’s the only reason you’re here. But Vince gets you a seat at the table. I go my path and you go yours.

The bartender grabs the bottle of bourbon and pours into the glass that is attached to Dukes hand. The light reflecting off of the gold Rolex.

Duke Andrews:
I knew one day we would cross paths again. Hell, you avoided me like the plague when we would be on the road. Guess it’s because we had different ideas of what to do on our downtime. But then we had our dance. Well, almost had our dance until it was ruined by Sandstorm. It hit me then, but I pushed it back down. There was a method to your madness. I just didn’t see it because I was blinded by the rage of the last year of my life, what I had built with A.P.E. being taken away. But there were seeds planted along the way. And then…

Duke takes the glass and puts it to his lips, again almost inhaling the liquid.

Duke Andrews:
Then you bent me over and ripped away the thing I had left to achieve in this company. Suddenly when I had what I wanted it was taken away. And then I had to listen to your smug ass, week in and week out. Talking about how you know me. You know where my next move plays out. How I am following your path. Fuck you Seth. Simply put, go fuck yourself. I’m not you and I would never aspire to be you. But I do owe you one thing. The one thing you can’t prepare for.

Duke spins slowly on the stool and steps off and back to the floor.

Duke Andrews:
You have tried to play this game where you get in my head. But suddenly you did. And that’s the pawn you can’t play. You lit that fire Seth. All of a sudden there’s this deeper, hotter, raging fire that has pushed my ability to the next level. You think that you have this advantage, but tonight there is no advantage for you. You’re stepping into my house. You’re stepping into my dojo and you’ve pushed me to becoming an even better version of myself. So let me ask you, then what? Then what happens? When I kick you off the top of your mountain, then what? Where do you go Seth? Where do you find yourself? Because I know where I end up when this ends. I know that when the night is over, my name is etched at the top of this company, and it couldn’t be at a better location.

The scene fades to black.

Singles Match
Last Man Standing

Sad Max VS BROOKFORD

The Living Corpse was facing a huge challenge tonight, going one on one against one of the biggest and baddest men in MWE, in a last man standing match nonetheless. And he knew he had to take any and every possible advantage to achieve this impossible task. When “Summer In Hell” by Cage blared out of the loudspeakers, the Problem Solver stared at the entrance stage waiting for his opponent to come out. And Max appeared, but behind the big man’s back, hopping the barricade with a steel chair in hand and smacking it on BROOKFORD’s back. He seemed more annoyed than hurting as he turned around and stared a hole through Max. Without any hesitation, the member of ROTTEN drove the chair down across his head, and BROOKFORD went down with a thud. Max didn’t seem to believe this would be enough to beat the former UG Dynasty champion, and while the referee administered the count, the Walking Corpse left the ring and scavenged steel chairs from under the apron, tossing them all inside the ring. BROOKFORD was up at four and Max slid back inside the ring, grabbing a chair and charging at the New Yorker. Without even flinching, BROOK raised his boot and kicked the chair into Max’ face, flattening the young man. After a couple of heavy stomps, he unfolded two chairs and set them up one in front of the other, the edge of their seats touching. He grabbed two more and placed them next to the first two, finally turning around to grab his opponent by the throat and chokeslamming him through the chairs. A devastating impact for the rookie, from which he managed to get up in six.

Once he lost the element of surprise, it was an uphill battle for Max. The Problem Solver was easily controlling the match, keeping a slow pace and taking his time with his power moves based offense. He didn’t even need to use any foreign object, those heavy fists and his brute strength were the only weapons he needed to steer the match in a favorable direction for him. Once again he had Max on his shoulders and tossed him into the corner with a buckle bomb. As the ROTTEN affiliate bounced off the turnbuckle and stumbled to the middle of the ring, BROOKFORD was there to catch him with a spinning sitout spinebuster. He asked the referee to count, leaning against the ropes as he waited for Max to stand up. Which he did, at six, with the help of the ropes. BROOKFORD charged at him and ended up crashing on the floor outside as Max pulled down the top rope. The Problem Solver got up to his feet rather quickly and climbed to the apron. Max launched himself through the ropes and knocked him back down. BROOKFORD’s head bounced hard on the concrete floor and for a moment the man didn’t move, which prompted the referee to start the count. It reached five before the New Yorker started stirring, at seven he was up to his feet, one moment later he was once again down as Max cracked his head with a pipe. Bleeding and visibly pissed off, BROOKFORD barely beat the count.

Max took another swing but BROOKFORD ducked it and the pipe connected with the steel post. The whiplash caused Max to lose his grip on the pipe, BROOKFORD picked the Living Corpse up and slammed him against the barricade with such force that he put him THROUGH it. The two found themselves fighting amongst the crowd, for a little while at least. Then, punch by punch, BROOKFORD pushed Max back toward the ring. One last uppercut sent Max against the steel post, providing BROOKFORD the perfect chance to charge and connect a big boot to the face. Max moved away, but the former UG Dynasty champion saw that coming and slowed down in time, stopping before hurting himself by kicking the steel. He wrapped his arms around Max’s chest and connected a dangerous suplex to the steel post, leaving the young man lying on the floor as the referee began to count. The fact that he was able to stand up was a testament of his incredible resilience and even BROOKFORD struggled to believe what he just saw. Much like it happened in the last Millennium during his match with Micaela, the Problem Solver looked through the crowd and nodded. He threw Max against the barricade and pulled out not one but two tables from under the ring and slipped them under the bottom rope. While Max picked himself up, BROOKFORD set up the tables, stacking them one on top of the other. He then left the ring again to grab his opponent and drag him back in. Max fought back with a few weak punches, the Problem Solver crushed that last desperate attempt of a comeback by slamming the young man’s head on the apron before he pushed him in. For someone as strong as BROOKFORD, setting up the opponent for a top rope powerbomb through the tables wasn’t an impossible task, but he made it look absolutely effortless. The referee started to count again, this time all the way to ten.

WINNER: BROOKFORD
BY: Last Man Standing, 12:13

Ambra Monroe: "Another day at the office for BROOKFORD. I'm curious to ask him who he was looking for in the crowd. It's not the first time his focus goes there in a match, it happened as he faced Micaela as well."

Peyton Holland: "He wasn't looking through the crowd, he looked at the sky box."

Ambra Monroe: "That's where..."

Peyton Holland: "Yep, Grace van Beek is there. It's almost like BROOKFORD was waiting for a signal from our owner."

Ambra Monroe: "Well, he's a problem solver, and ROTTEN has caused a few problems at the last PPV. Who better than BROOKFORD to take care of it?"

Video Package

The screen flickered to life, showing two silhouettes standing behind a plastic sheet, the taller figure held an axe in hand running something over the edges, the shorter of the two held a katana, resting over the shoulder, a snap cut showed a pair of training dummies, the faces stapled to the heads were of Karen and Clyde Eldon, Clyde’s dummy had an axe buried into it’s neck, and Karen’s head simply rolled on the floor. A second snap cut focused on the silhouettes, Valkyrie and Niko Yua, Warblade 42. Both members of the team had gone without their usual ring attire, having swapped to white denim shorts and white t shirts with the team logos on, with the legend D.M.W written in blood red on the left sleeve..

Valkyrie:
Since that first encounter, The Eldon Family have shown us nothing but disrespect. For those of you who didn’t catch the Twitter exchange, Karen decided to act nice in English before mocking us in poorly translated Bing that she had indeed cheated.

Niko Yua:
But that of course was plain as a pikestaff.

Valkyrie smiled, a cold, bitter smile.

Valkyrie:
But you kick a dog, and it will eventually not only stop barking at you, it will turn around and fucking bite! You kicked the Great Dane Bitch, and you kicked the Blade Maiden of Tokyo to such a point that they have finally got you in position to bite harder than Millenium Wrestling has ever seen.

Niko Yua:
If you thought a Deathmatch was bad enough, you haven’t seen anything yet. See, we’re not here to wrestle, we’re not here to fight. We. Are. Here. To. Torture. You. Karen, after hitting me with that purse all those weeks ago, I am going to get my pint of blood back from you, from every damn limb on your body.

Valkyrie:
Clyde, I’m going to be teaching you a lesson by hammering it into your skull repeatedly. Blunt objects, glass, barbed wire, thumbtacks. A whole bunch of weapons that will leave a scar that you won’t forget about. If you thought me allegedly injuring your sister was painful to watch, the scars I’ll leave you with will be something you’ll have a cool story about for your inevitable post wrestling business career as an After Dinner Speaker in three years time. Karen, if Niko doesn’t get her hands on you because you’re too chickenshit to actually get into the ring, you’ll fucking hate what we do to Clyde.

Niko Yua:
Light tubes, barbed wire, thumbtacks, sheets of paper. If we can use it to inflict damage on an opponent, it’s being used. But the main goal here for us, is to sate the rage from when you screwed us over. An eye for an eye was never intended with light tubes, but here we are.

Tag Team Deathmatch

The Eldon Family VS Warblade 42

If Karen was trying to keep up appearances and kept a straight, undaunted face, Clyde looked like he was walking the green mile rather than the ramp leading to the ring. The fans noticed it and mocked him with a “Dead Man Walking” chant. Motherly instinct kicked in Karen who started yelling at the fans, cursing them for choosing such a barbaric stipulation for her and her son to compete in. Valkyrie and Niko looked at that scene slightly amused, watching Karen bickering with a fan in the front row. Things escalated when the woman slapped away the bag of popcorn from the fan’s hand and he, in return, threw his beer at Karen. That was it, the woman lost it and yelled that the gentleman was escorted outside. The security certainly wasn’t there to act on Karen’s whim, but they recognized the potentially dangerous situation and accompanied the fan away through a chorus of boos from the rest of the audience. Karen grabbed her son and turned on her heels, saying that they weren’t going to compete. The boos grew even louder, trash was being tossed at the Eldons who were heading backstage. Warblade 42 wasn’t having none of that, chasing the opponents and blasting them with clotheslines from behind. The mood of the fans changed drastically as the Eldons fell under the blows of Niko and Vee. Whether Karen liked it or not, this match was going to happen, even if Valkyrie had to, literally, drag her to the ring. Grabbing the opponent’s short hair, the Great Dane Batch was taking Karen to the ring by force. The Most Hated Woman In MWE tried to fight back, but a hard kick to the face killed the last bit of resistance she was putting up and allowed Vee to push her in the ring. Niko was taking her sweet time with Clyde instead, throwing him into the barricade and stomping his face in. The bell sounded and the match was officially underway.

Warblade 42 was loving every moment of this. The match was right in their wheelhouse, their hate for the opponents fueled their sadistic side and pushed their creativity. If before the match Karen was wondering how Valkyrie could weaponize a sheet of paper, she was now about to find out. Niko trapped her in an armbar and kept her index and middle finger apart, while Valkyrie put the paper right between them… They probably heard Karen’s screaming from outside the Arena and someone among the fans might even feel bad for her. Clyde threw himself against Valkyrie and took her down with his For You Dad spear. Valkyrie landed on the thumbtacks she previously dropped on the canvas, talk about a plan backfiring! Clyde was all over her with punches and elbows to the face, unleashing hell on the Dane to avenge his mother. Niko came to rescue her partner but soon realized that turning your back on Karen Eldon is always a mistake. The blonde woman reached for her infamous purse and smacked Yua with it. Whatever she was hiding in there was heavy enough to knock the japanese down. Eldon then made the cover, hoping to put an end to this match before things turned real ugly but Niko kicked out a moment before the three.

Carnage, that’s the best word to describe the ring now. A bloodied Karen, courtesy of a lightbulb smashed on her head, was crawling to her baby boy who had just been put through a table with a superplex by Valkyrie. The Warmaiden Of Roskilde didn’t take pity on the scene in front of her eyes and kicked her hard on the ribs. Niko called her partner and threw her a kendo stick, which was grabbed in mid air by the Dane. Yua was wielding a second one, walking in front of her partner with Karen on all fours between them. Vee delivered the first shot, Niko followed suit and then it was again the blonde’s turn. They went on for a good minute, at this point just punishing Karen who couldn’t do much to defend herself from the flogging. Clyde came to his mom’s rescue, grabbing the kendo stick held by Valkyrie while she was charging yet another blow and taking it from her hands. The Great Dane Bitch turned around into a shot to the midsection that doubled her over, followed by a hard shot to the back. The stick broke in half, but Valkyrie was down. That left Clyde and Niko as the last people standing, the young man dared Baka Buster to swing with her cane which she gladly obliged. He barely flinched as the kendo stick hit the side of his ribcage, willingly taking the shot to block the wooden can against his body. He yanked at it, pulling Niko into a hard heabutt that rocked the japanese wrestler. CEJ picked her up in a powerbomb position and turned to the opposite side of the ring, pointing at another table Warblade 42 set up earlier in the match. Under the table various light tubes were placed as a very unpleasant surprise for whoever was going to be put through it. And it seemed like Niko would be the one suffering this fate as Clyde was charging there with a running powerbomb. From the ground, Valkyrie grabbed the young man’s foot, causing him to trip over. Niko fell hard on her shoulder, still a much better outcome than going through the table. She still decided to roll out of the ring to nurse her injured shoulder while her partner started trading shots with Clyde. Soon the young man found himself back against the, desperately fighting back against the powerhouse. Valkyrie rocked him with a headbutt to the bridge of the nose and, spotting Niko perching on the top rope, she laid Clyde on top of the table. The Blade Maiden Of Tokyo jumped on the poor guy with a double foot stomp, pushing him through the table and onto the light tubes under it. Valkyrie made the cover while Niko tackled Karen preventing her from breaking up the pinning predicament.

WINNER: Warblade 42
BY: Pinfall (Double Foot Stomp), 12:57

Amy Maynard: "Dear Lord.. Someone should check on Clyde!"

Sir Figgles: "What a match! I feel bad for the Eldons but this was fun to watch."

Amy Maynard: "I'm not their biggest fan either, but I hope nothing serious happened to them."

Sir Figgles: "They'll be back. Clyde may look even more like the Frankenstein monster but he'll be fine."

We cut to a backstage corridor, we see a figure pacing back and forth, very much in her own head. She is muttering to herself as she tries to get herself in the right head space. Alex Andrews finally realizes the camera is there and gives it a nod. She then takes a few seconds to gather hee thoughts before speaking.

Alex Andrews :
This is big and I know it's big. I understand the gravity of it. But in do believe I've earned it. I earned this title match and I don't believe anyone can claim any different. I worked my butt off all year to get to this point. And it hasn't been easy, but I think I've finally managed to get that momentum I've been grasping at.

Alex smiles slightly, she seems a little bit cheery than we've seen her in recent shows, maybe just due to this being a big moment for her, the title match in general.

Alex Andrews :
This isn't my first title match here in MWE, but most of those were multi person matches and absolute chaos. And it's hard to prepare for absolute chaos. One can't exactly prep for a ladder match. But this will be my first one on one championship match. Ever. So yeah, I am feeling the gravity of it. But it doesn't hurt that I'm very familiar with the champion, isn't that right Neil?

Alex wipes her bottom lip and chuckles to herself.

Alex Andrews :
I've spent a lot of time thinking, rolling thingsover in my head since the title match was announced, but I suppose I should thank you Neil. Yeah, you heard me right, I should be thanking you. Because of your attitude and "tough love", you've given me a purpose. You've given me something to focus on. And that's after you won that MENTV Championship, I knew I had a chance to be the one to pry it from your hands. With our past and your attitude towards me, it's motivated me on trying to be as good as I possibly can because as I kept on winning, it'd bring me to right to this point.

Alex shakes her head slightly.

Alex Andrews :
I've made it no secret, Neil, that I don't like your attitude. Your constant jabs and talking down to me. It's gotten under my skin since day one. And some days, I admit, that treatment has worn on me. I'm sure that has been more than evident, but one can't argue with the results. Because now it comes down to just you and me, Neil. You and me, and I have fifteen minutes to get the job done. I have faith in my abilities and it won't be some fluke roll up this time. You are going to know how much of a fighter I am.

Alex nods again and glares hard at the camera before breaking back into a grin.

Alex Andrews :
You made a promise to me before Domino Effect. Do you remember that? It didn't happen then, but its still valid. You said if I were to win that belt you hold, that you'd be the one to wrap it around my waist and be the first person to congratulate me. And I'm going to hold you to that. I earned that much. I've earned that respect. So I'll try to be a woman of my word and if and when I hold up my end of the bargain, I truly hope you're a man of your word.

Alex reaches down from her gym bag nestled against a wall, grabs a towel and flings it over a shoulder.

Alex Andrews :
See you out there.

MENTV Championship Match

Neil Newman © VS Alex Andrews

Fifteen minutes for Alex to defeat Newman and take the MENTV championship from him. Fifteen minutes for Neil to beat Andrews and write down defense number three in the history books, getting one step closer to cashing it in for a shot at the Orange Brand top prize. Before the match started Newman had something to say to his challenger, a few words about how he expected her to make him proud. Alex rolled her eyes and told him to shut up and fight and when the bell rang, the two could finally tie up. Newman tiik a quick advantage by throwing a stiff kick into the midsection of Alex Andrews. Applying a front facelock, the MENTV champion reached the opponent with a couple more knee strikes before lifting her for a suplex. In one fluid motion he positioned himself on top of her and made a cover, but Alex kicked out in one. Newman brought Andrews to her knee, set her and went to flip her into a Northern Lights Suplex, but as he sent Alex back, she flipped out of it. Neil turned around surprised and was met by the Alex Crusher. The challenger looked for an early cover as well but Newman wasn’t giving up on his reign so easily. The two were up to their feet, Alex swinging with a right hand that Neil ducked, bouncing off the ropes and tackling Andrews to the mat. From a mounting position, he just unloaded with a flurry of rights and lefts that Alex eventually got her arms up to block. Using her leg strength, Lady Limitless wrapped them around Neil and flipped him off. Another intense staredown between the two as they looked in each other’s eyes from across the ring. Then they charged in and met in the middle of the ring where they took each other out with a double clothesline. After not too long, both competitors were up yet again and Newman went to kick Andrews in the stomach but she caught his foot, stepped over and hit a spinning heel kick that knocked Neil straight down.

The champion rolled out of the ring after kicking out from another pinfall attempt made by Alex following a superkick. Instinctive gesture or was he playing with the clock trying to gain a few precious seconds? Regardless, Alex wasn’t taking any chances and followed him outside, walking right into a kick to the stomach by Newman who then launched Lady Limitless against the barricade. As she lay there, he stomped her with a few kicks and then hoisted her up for a suplex on the floor. Alex arched her back in pain, slowly getting up to her feet only to get pushed into the apron by the MENTV champion, inflicting more damage to that body part before the match was taken back into the ring. Neil tried to capitalize on that with a high angle boston crab, putting more on the lower back of the challenger who began to crawl to the ropes, eventually managing to reach the bottom rope and break up the submission. Newman let her go immediately, showing once again that he was, if anything, playing this one fair without taking any shortcut, a form of respect to the younger opponent he, in a way, took under his wing. But as soon as Alex made it up to her feet, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, hooking both legs for a deep cover worth another two count.

Time was ticking, Alex had now less than four minutes to turn the tides and get a pinfall (or a submission) to take the title from Newman. But the MENTV champion was in full control, keeping Andrews on the ground with a front facelock, running down the clock to retain the gold. The fans start to rally behind Lady Limitless as she forced herself up to her feet, throwing punches to Newman’s abdomen to break free. He countered with a knee to the face that staggered Alex, and launched her into the corner with an irish whip. He charged for a clothesline, she raised her foot, he slowed down and blocked her kick, pushing her leg down and delivering a stiff forearm to the face. Sitting the opponent on the top rope, Newman then began to climb up as well, looking to drive her down with a superplex. But he counted her out too soon, there was still fight in Alex and she resisted the attempt. The two started jockeying for position, trading strikes to get out from this deadlock situation. To everybody’s surprise, not only Alex won the exchange, but she even lifted Newman in a suplex position and dropped him down on his chest. As he started to get up, she jumped with a legdrop and took him down. The fans were going wild as she rolled him on his back to make the cover, but Newman kicked out. Rather than showing frustration, Alex got right back up and glanced at the time. Despite there being only two minutes left, Alex tried to keep calm and lucidity knowing that this might be her last chance, and even the slightest mistake could compromise it. She delivered a few kicks to Neil's chest, wearing him further down before she hit him with the Brain Death. That was it, all the fans counted along with the referee the one, two.. NO! Newman kicked out again! Lady Limitless wasted no time and caught him in her Dawn Breaker (lion tamer), putting as much pressure as she possibly could to get him to tap out before the time limit…. And he did, with ten seconds to go!

WINNER: Alex Andrews (NEW MENTV CHAMPION)
BY: Submission (Dawn Breaker), 14:50

The referee was about to hand the title to the new champion, but a limping Neil Newman stopped him. The fans let out a collective gasp, but Alex didn't seem too concerned. Sure, the thought that he might try something fancy crossed her mind for the briefest moment but a glance at the former champion and she could see that he was keeping up his promise. At Domino Effect he said that if Alex won the title, he would have personally wrapped it around her waist and that's what he did tonight, raising the shoulder and congratulating with Andrews who just won her first title in MWE.

Peyton Holland: "Nice gesture from Newman."

Ambra Monroe: "Apparently, we judged him too soon. I admit I didn't believe half of the things he told Alex, I thought he was just messing with her.2

Peyton Holland: "You and me both, Ambra. Congratulations to the new MENTV champion and to the former champ as well, this was a class act."

We cut backstage to rookie star Jimmy Scrivens backstage in his locker room. He’s sitting on a bench, his hands taped, his wrestling boots tied up, he’s ready to go. In his hands he’s holding a picture of himself. The picture is of himself surrounded by trophies, both freestyle and college wrestling championships alike. He looks up at the camera.

Jimmy Scrivens:
Take a good look at this.

He holds the photo up to the camera so that everyone can see the picture.

Jimmy Scrivens:
This is who I am. This is what I do. I’m not just some talented college wrestler. I’m not just a guy who won a couple freestyle wrestling tournaments. What I did, very few people have ever done. I’m a multi-time college wrestling national champion. I’ve won gold medals at freestyle wrestling World Championships. I went years at a time without losing a single match. When people look back on my non-professional wrestling career, there’s one word that comes to mind. Greatest. There’s nothing that I didn’t accomplish in my career there. Nobody that I didn’t beat. Nobody could look back on that and say I was anything but one of the greatest of all time.

He puts the picture back in his gym bag and then smacks a fist into his other open palm as he looks back up at the camera.

Jimmy Scrivens:
And now I’m here. In the professional wrestling world. In Millenium. See when I talk about me being the best pure wrestler in this sport, I’m not just spewing shit. Everything I’ve done in the past can back that up. Some people here in Millenium have a wrestling background, but not a single one of them have the wrestling pedigree that I do. So when I say I’m the greatest pure wrestler here, that’s just the damn truth. But I grew tired of being the best there. I wanted a new challenge. I decided to become the greatest wrestler, period. Pro wrestling is more than just pure wrestling. There’s more variety here. More of a challenge. Makes it a little harder, gives me more to work for.

He stretches a bit, getting loosened up and ready for his battle royale match that’s coming.

Jimmy Scrivens:
But this is still wrestling. My history, my skill, my pedigree, my legend, it’s all still wrestling. I may not be able to fly off the ropes. I don’t stand there and trade punches with anyone. But that’s fine. Because you can get away with not doing any of that, as long as you know how to wrestle. It’s the fundamental base of this sport. And if you can’t wrestle, you don’t stand a chance of beating me. That’s not just some theoretical statement, that’s a fact. I’ve proven that so far. I’ve been in this sport for over two months and I can count on one hand the number of people who’ve beaten me. And everyone I’ve wrestled has had more experience in this sport than I have. But none of them could outwrestle me.

He looks around for a moment and then stands up as he looks back at the camera.

Jimmy Scrivens:
And here we are, another PPV here at Millenium. Another chance to showcase me. And instead of giving me some big opponent, instead of highlighting me in a big match, they toss me into a battle royale. I get it. They have plans for everyone else. They didn’t expect a rookie like me to be as good as I’ve been. Who can blame them, there’s nobody like me out there. But they’ve quickly realized that I pose a legitimate threat to anyone they put me in a match with, even their best wrestlers. They don’t want to ruin any potential plans they have. So they toss me into this battle royale. Basically, we have nothing else for you, we don’t want you to ruin any plans, so here’s a bunch of meh wrestlers for you to beat. It’s fine. I’ll win this match and force them to start giving me more chances.

He starts moving towards the door before stopping for a moment and looking at the camera again, with a grin on his face.

Jimmy Scrivens:
And I will win. I’m not even going to talk about my opponents. I won’t mention that I kicked Mitchell Price’s ass all over the ring at Domino Effect. I’m not going to talk about my multiple easy wins against Jada Hashford. I’m not going to say that most of the wrestlers in this match are talentless hacks that couldn’t last thirty seconds in a ring with me one-on-one. That would be rude of me, so I won’t say any of that. Instead I’ll just say this. I came to pro wrestling to become the greatest. I came to Millenium because I knew they had the level of competition that would allow me to establish myself as just that. All I’ve been doing since I got here is backing up my talk that I’m the greatest pure wrestler in this entire company. In the entire sport really. This match, this battle royale, this is just another step towards that end goal. I’ll step into that match with twenty-plus wrestlers, and I’ll step out of it as the winner. Nobody in that match is good enough to beat me. Hell, very few in the entire company are good enough to beat me. But I’m focused on this match right now. I’m focused on all these opponents that are going to step in there thinking this is their chance to catapult back into the spotlight. Thinking that they can win this and use it to boost their careers back to becoming something worth caring about. But they’re wrong. This match is about me, doing what I’ve been doing since I started wrestling here in Millenium. Showcasing the pure, unrivaled talent that I have. Proving that I have exactly what it takes to make it to the top of this company, to the top of the entire wrestling world. Beating twenty-plus other wrestlers in the same match because I’m just that damn good. This match is about Jimmy Scrivens. Future Millenium legend.

With that, Jimmy turns away from the camera and walks towards the door. He leaves the locker room as the camera chases after him and sees him walking down the hallway towards the entrance to his match, as we fade out.

Crossbrand Battle Royale

Romeo Chavez Jr. VS Mitchell Price VS Micaela VS Morag Bean VS Mitchell Price VS Jada Hashford VS Melody Lennox VS Lucie Callaway VS Teddy Steele VS Kate Steele VS Jimmy Scrivens VS Khalil Washington III VS Razzles Mars VS The Eye VS Ale Velasco VS Dré Angelo VS Karib Trinidad VS Omari Johnson VS Asher Miles VS Jay Gallagher VS Dean Smith VS Liv Mercer and more....

Rumchata Ayano: “The following contest is a 30 men cross brand battle royale! Two wrestlers will start the match, every two minutes a new competitor will enter the ring. Eliminations can only occur by throwing the opponent over the top rope.”

As Rumchata was announcing the rules, “Don’t fucking touch me” by Banshee blasted out of the loudspeakers and ROTTEN’s own Micaela was the first to enter the match. Luck of the draw? Not according the resident conspiracy theorist Sir Figgles who believed the hidden hand of Grace herself was behind this. On the notes of “Playing With Fire” by Plan B the second entrant made his way to the ring. Karib Trinidad of the Bad Boyz entered the ring and immediately took the fight to the redhead. With the size and power advantage Trinidad easily pushed the lighter opponent against the ropes and tried to eliminate her right away. He grabbed her leg and lifted her over the top rope but Micaela held on for dear life and managed to stay on the apron, sliding back inside the ring. Trinidad went back on the attack but this time Micaela dodged his punch and connected a few strikes of her own, kicks to the legs to slow down the bigger man. The titantron came to life to show the countdown. 10, 9, 8… The fans counted along and when it reached 0, the buzzer sounded.

Rumchata Ayano: “Entrant number three, from Fort Worth Texas, representing the Bad Boyz… KHALIL WASHINGTON III!”

Showing on his forehead the sign of the chair shot he accidentally received by Marcus Ali the night before, Washington rushed to the ring. This, obviously, fueled Figgles’ theory, saying that this was further proof of Grace’s vengeance against ROTTEN. And maybe it wasn’t the wildest of guesses after all. As a matter of fact, Micaela found herself in a two on one situation, and things were about to turn real ugly for her. The New York born was bouncing back and forth between the Bad Boyz who were taking turns punching her, putting an exclamation point on their beatdown with a powerbomb into a double knee backbreaker. Once again Trinidad tried to eliminate her, but Micaela hung onto the ropes and saved herself once again.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing next, from Huntington Beach, California… She is the Villainess, MELODY LENNOX!”

As Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” blared out of the PA system, a round of boos welcomed Melody to the ring. She didn’t seem too upset, or surprised, by the cold reaction. She also took her sweet time to get to the ring, unfortunately for Micaela who was once again fighting for dear life. Then all of a sudden, it hit her. If Micaela was eliminated, she would find herself at numerical disadvantage against two much bigger opponents. She rushed the last meters that were separating her from the ring and jumped on Khalil’s back, taking him down with a backstabber. Micaela raked Karib’s eyes and created some separation, quickly heading to the center of the ring where the risks of being eliminated drastically dropped. The two “couples” kept trading shots, Trinidad with the ROTTEN member and Washington with the Villainess. The two girls were using their speed and agility to keep themselves away from the Bad Boyz’ powerful strikes, Micaela even managed to catch Karib with her Capitalism Is Dead and went to help Lennox against KW3, the two of them delivering a stereo superkick to floor the former All American. Their attention momentarily drifted when the buzzer sounded and “Kamikaze” by Lil Mosey hit the airwaves.

Rumchata Ayano: “Entrant number five, from Tijuana Mexico, Mr No Hype Needed, El Serpiente ROMEO CHAVEZ JR!”

Another one who didn’t have many fans here in Phoenix. Or anywhere else. Chavez entered the ring in a spectacular fashion with a springboard dropkick to take out both women, kipping up to his feet right when Trinidad came charging with a clothesline. Bending backwards, he dodged the running blow, pulling himself up and connecting a standing dropkick that sent Karib over the top rope. The Tattooed Angel landed on the apron to save himself, even ducking Romeo’s high kick and countering with a shoulder tackle to the mid-section through the ropes. He was about to enter the ring when, out of nowhere, Melody slid between his legs, grabbed his feet and using the momentum of the slide, powerbombed him on the floor outside.

Rumchata Ayano: “KARIB TRINIDAD has been eliminated!” (Lennox -1)

Having left the ring under the ropes and not over them, Melody was allowed to go back in. She didn’t seem eager to get back in the heat of the battle though, preferring to sit outside the ring and wait until the ring was a bit less crowded. More so now that entrant number 6 was coming in.

Rumchata Ayano: “Making his way to the ring, from Chicago, Illinois he is the 2020 MWE Match Of The Year award winner, the Antares… ASHER MILES!”

Finally someone the crowd could get behind. Asher came to MWE looking like a total prick, pursuing a revenge against Donovan Keane for never truly explained reasons. The two had two epic battles where they nearly killed each other, the Ambulance Match at last year’s Dark Web II that earned them the prestigious award and an Unsanctioned Match during the summer break. But after that, he turned to a new leaf, earning the respect of the fans despite alternate fortunes in his results. But tonight, Phoenix was behind him, and he returned their love making a great impact in the match, eliminating Micaela as she was trying to push Chavez off the apron.

Rumchata Ayano: “MICAELA has been eliminated!” (Miles -1)

Not a good night for ROTTEN, with Max annihilated by BROOKFORD and Micaela leaving the rumble too soon. She pointed her finger to Asher, calling him with very colorful insults the less offensive of which was slave to the wage. But nothing changed the fact that she had to leave the ring, while Asher’s rumble match continued with a clothesline to the back from Washington that flattened him. Once again the fans began the countdown, the excitement to find out who the next person to join the carnage would be.

Rumchata Ayano: “The seventh entrant to the battle royal match, from Louisville, Kentucky, she is the youngest champion in MWE history, LUCIE CALLAWAY!”

As Lucie entered the ring, El Serpiente left it thanks to a combined effort from Asher and Khalil, a double superkick that sent the mexican flying on the outside.

Rumchata Ayano: “ROMEO CHAVEZ JR has been eliminated!” (Miles -2 Washington -1)

Their cooperation ended there and then as KW3 didn’t hesitate to stab Asher in the back and toss him over the top rope. Asher managed to grab it with his hand, remaining suspended literal inches from the floor. Khalil didn’t even realize it, turning to face Lucie still convinced that he had eliminated Asher. He threw some punches at the former Chicago Way champion, but she was too quick and managed to duck them all, waiting for the perfect opportunity to plant him with her SOS. Asher pulled himself up and entered the ring. Noticing the Bad Boy down on the floor, he didn’t resist the chance to get some instant revenge with the Antares punt kick. The sound his boot made against the cranium of Khalil sent shivers down the fans’ spine. Washington wasn’t moving, which left Miles with the problem to eliminate him. He asked for Lucie’s help and even in two they struggled to get the deadweight opponent up to his feet and drag him to the ropes. Maybe the next entrant could help them?

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing next, from Coconut Grove California, she is the Reigning Queen Of Candyland, RAZZLES MARS!”

The ovation started as soon as Rum announced where the next entrant was billed from. By the time “Sweet Tooth” by Scott Helman hit the speakers and the sugar fueled Razzles Mars appeared on the stage, the cheers were so loud they covered the music. Too bad they died almost immediately. Razzles was ready to springboard herself into action but when she jumped from the apron to the top rope, a hand grabbed her leg and dragged her face first on the apron! It was Melody Lennox, who finally decided to take her place back into the match after some rest on the outside, and she decided to do it by attacking the poor Mars. She launched her against the steel steps, then slammed her head onto the post and finally pushed her under the bottom rope. Entering the ring right behind her, Melody picked up the young brit who already looked out of it and proceeded to throw her over the top rope. But Razzles still had some fight in her, enough to wrap her legs around Melody’s head and drag her along for the run. Lennox hit the floor, Mars landed on her behind onto the apron and, by sheer luck, saved herself from the elimination.

Rumchata Ayano: “MELODY LENNOX has been eliminated!” (Mars -1)

There came another standing ovation, only growing louder as Mel threw a tantrum at one of the officials outside. Guess who? Charles, of course. Once again his life was being threatened and he did absolutely nothing wrong. Khalil somehow saved himself from elimination, grinning from ear to ear as Blacklist Regulars’ “Superhuman blasted out of the speakers.

Rumchata Ayano: “Entrant number nine, from Atlanta, Georgia the Human Superhuman, OMARI JOHNSON!”

Another Bad Boy joined the match, quickly running down the ramp to help his fellow stable member fending off the combined attacks of Lucie and Asher, making this a two versus two affair. This gave Razzles time to recover from the beatdown she suffered before she could even enter the ring, the British staying sit down in a corner away from the battle. The two minutes ran too quickly for her, the tenth competitor was about to enter and chances were they’d take it on the easiest target. Her.

Rumchata Ayano: Introducing next, the Good Wrestling Boy KORY KRAMP!”

It could have been much worse. Kory was, if anything for his size, an affordable challenge for the worn out Mars. And they actually had a great back and forth, trading quick strikes and some acrobatic moves like Kory’s handspring cutter. But their “match into the match” was rudely interrupted by Khalil Washington who had just been whipped against the ropes by Asher and thought he could turn them both inside out with a double clothesline as he found them on his way. As Lucie desperately tried to save herself from the elimination, the countdown reached once again zero and another entrant joined the battle, bringing the total up to seven wrestlers simultaneously in the ring.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing next, from Los Angeles, California he is the Tattooed Demon and member of the Bad Boyz DRE ANGELO!”

Seven quickly became six as Dré helped Omari throw Lucie out of the ring.

Rumchata Ayano: LUCIE CALLAWAY has been eliminated! (Johnson -1, Angelo -1)

The Bad Boyz took one half of the ring, Asher, Razzles and Kory were occupying the other half. Miles tried to coordinate and prepare Kramp and Mars for what looked like it was becoming a three on three battle. The Bad Boyz charged, Asher took on Khalil headfirst, Kory surprised Omari with a drop-toe-hold takedown while Razzles ducked Angelo’s clothesline and planted him with a backstabber. The two trios kept fighting, we saw Kory hitting the Kramped on Angelo before Dré took him out with a superkick. Asher fed him one of the same before Omari joined the superkick party with his Super Duper Kick. Khalil was going to powerbomb poor Raz on the floor but just like she did before with Melody, the young girl dragged him out with her. This time though, both landed on the apron, quickly getting up to their feet ready to fight in the precarious spot. But behind Razzles’ back someone jumped the barricade… Lennox? Again? Eluding the security, Melody was back with a vengeance, taking Razzles’ legs out with a running clothesline and causing her to fall off the apron.

Rumchata Ayano: “RAZZLES MARS has been eliminated!” (Washington -2)

Barely time for Khalil to enter the ring and “Burn It To The Ground” by Nickelback blasted in the arena.

Rumchata Ayano: “Entrant number twelve, from University Park, Pennsylvania… JIMMY SCRIVENS!”

In his short time in MWE, Jimmy Scrivens has been nothing short than impressive. A big win against Mitchell Price at Domino Effect and a great performance against Melissa Reeves have been, so far, the highlights of a career that certainly looks promising. Tonight it was another chance for him to showcase his great ability. He came in hot, not caring about the two opposing alignements that were battling inside the ring, suplexing everyone indiscriminately. This strong start drew not only the attention of the fans, who showed their appreciation with a loud round of cheers, but that of his opponents as well. And it wasn’t the attention Jimmy would like to have. The Bad Boyz ganged up on him (Urban Warfare, as Figgles reminded), Khalil was holding him in a straightjacket position while Omari and Dré took turns at using him like a punching bag. Asher came to his aid with a reverse hurricanrana on Angelo while Kramp surprised the Human Superhuman with a satellite ddt. Scrivens tried to get free but KW3 lifted him with a tiger suplex. As bodies were flying everywhere, the next competitor was ready to join the battlefield.

Rumchata Ayano: “Making her way to the ring, from Manhattan, New York she the first ever Riot champion, LIV MERCER!”

As Cardi B’s “Money” blasted through the loudspeakers, Liv Mercer made her way to the ring. Once inside, she hit Dré Angelo with a superkick to the back of the head, saving Asher from a situation that was becoming rather dangerous for the Antares. The two nodded at each other, they had the chance to tag in the past when they both were chasing the Junior Heavyweight championship and earned a certain respect for each other. This partnership came into play tonight as well, as they took both down Johnson with a double drop-toe-hold and hit him with a double low dropkick to the face. On the opposite side of the ring, the other Bad Boy was trying to shove Scrivens out of the ring, but Jimmy clung onto the ropes. Khalil looked frustrated and took it out on the charging Kory who was tossed in the air by the former All American and obliterated with a pop up uppercut. Three… Two… One… "Stranger Things" by Joyner Lucas and Chris Brown was the song that played out in the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and the fans instantly recognized who it belonged to. And they didn’t seem too excited.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing now, from Atlanta, Georgia, he is known as The Airhead From Atlanta, Drew Dream!”

Kory’s former tag partner entered the ring and immediately went to check on the Human Fly. Taking advantage that everyone else was busy with a dance partner, Drew helped Kramp up to his feet and sweetly placed a hand on his shoulder. ”You’re ok, buddy?” He asked. And as Kory nodded, Dream threw him out of the ring in a shocking turn of events that left the fans dumbfounded.

Rumchata Ayano: “KORY KRAMP has been eliminated!” (Dream -1)

Kory couldn’t believe the betrayal, looking at Dream with an expression that read “Why?” His answer never came as he had to defend himself from Omari who was coming at him. Dream kicked him in the gut and dropped him down with The BJ (stunner), kipping up to his feet to meet Mercer with a dropkick. Heartbroken, Kory left the ringside, while in the ring the fight was still going. Jimmy showed once again his ability as he caught Asher with The 313 (capture suplex), throwing him right into the post.

Rumchata Ayano: “Making his way to the ring, from Velva, North Dakota… the Standout MITCHELL PRICE!”

Another All American entered the battle royale, someone Jimmy was quite familiar with having beaten him at Domino Effect in what some may call a controversial manner. Scrivens stopped in the middle of the ring, staring at the Standout who now slid under the bottom rope and walked right toward Scrivens. Jimmy was ready to fight but Mitchell put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. ”Let’s clear the ring, bro!” he enthusiastically said. And they did. It was a free-for-all buffet, Jimmy and Mitchell were feeding suplexes to everyone who came their way. Nobody was spared, and the returning customers like Khalil and Omari received a special treatment. An overhead belly to belly suplex over the top rope.

Rumchata Ayano: “KHALIL WASHINGTON III and OMARI JOHNSON have been eliminated!” (Scrivens -1, Price -1)

Angelo was the last Bad Boyz standing, at least until he took the worst decision of his life, charging at Mitchell and Jimmy who sent him joining his brother in arms on the outside.

Rumchata Ayano: “DRE ANGELO has been eliminated!” (Scrivens -2, Price -2)

Sir Figgles was praising the duo, pushing once again his conviction that they would be unstoppable as a team. Then “Ugly” by the Exies blasted through the PA system, and the Alcadesa appeared on the stage

Rumchata Ayano: “Entrant number sixteen, from Carolina, Puerto Rico… ALE VELASCO!”

She went straight for the top rope, taking down Mitchell with the Decelerator diving dropkick. This put her right on Jimmy’s radar, Scrivens picked her up and threw her on the mat with a Judo toss but Ale’s agility allowed her to land on her feet, sprint at the ropes and jump at him with a headscissors takedown that sent him flying in the corner. Drew Dream came out of nowhere to hit Velasco with his Gobstopper, sending her right into Scrivens. Mercer and Miles teamed up once again to try to eliminate Mitchell, but the Standout hung in. And just like that, it was already time for entrant number seventeen.

Rumchata Ayano: “Making her way to the ring from Greenville, Mississippi the Backwoods Braggart… JADA HASHFORD!”

Jada rushed to the ring, her focus was on one person only. Drew Dream, the man who stabbed her boyfriend in the back and eliminated him from the competition. She took him down with a Thesz press and started hammering at his face with lefts and rights. She picked him up and drove him into the corner, delivering kicks to the chest and shoulder tackles to the abdomen. She wasn’t even trying to score an elimination, she was just beating the hell out of him, making him pay for what he did to Kory.

Rumchata Ayano: “Coming from Los Angeles, California she is the entrant number eighteen, KATE STEELE!”

Steele entered the overly crowded ring, jumping right into the heat of the battle. It was hard to call any action, Mitchell was trying to push Liv out of the ring, Ale and Miles were kicking the hell out of each other, while Jada and Dream were battling near the ropes. Drew got some separation with a series of rapid fire headbutts, but Hashford came right back at him with a clothesline. Both of them fell out of the ring, where Jada continued attacking Dream until security set them apart.

Rumchata Ayano: “DREW DREAM and JADA HASHFORD have been eliminated!” (Hashford -1)

Drake’s “Forever” hit as soon as the buzzer sounded.

Rumchata Ayano: “Making his way to the ring with number nineteen, from Tampa Florida… TEDDY STEELE!”

The Steeles were reunited in the rumble, and they took on the odd pairing of Asher and Mercer. Everyone else was catching a breath, the four of them were holding the stage and keeping the fans on the edge of their seats with thrilling back and forth action. Four were fighting, two remained. The exhausted Asher, who had been in the ring the longest, left the match after a dropkick from Kate, who didn’t even have time to celebrate before Liv threw her over the top rope.

Rumchata Ayano: “ASHER MILES and KATE STEELE have been eliminated!” (K. Steele -1, Mercer -1)

Teddy wanted to avenge his wife, but the duo of Mitchell and Scrivens sneaked up between them and scored another double elimination.

Rumchata Ayano: “TEDDY STEELE and LIV MERCER have been eliminated!” (Scrivens -3, Price -3)

With the spot number 20 came one the first surprise entrant. Not an unfamiliar face to the MWE fans who saw him competing just last night in the Cloud Gate championship match, but nobody expected him to pull double duty and enter the battle royale.

Rumchata Ayano: “From Ottawa, Ontario Canada, the Straight Shooter, the Name Dropper, the Abominable Showman… MATT STONE!”

Ale Velasco charged at Matt, and immediately was sent flying over the top rope by the Canadian.

Rumchata Ayano: “ALE VELASCO has been eliminated!” (Stone -1)

Only three men were left in the ring, although Jimmy was taking a break in the corner. The Standout instead went right for Matt, and the two started trading blows. Feeling like he was losing ground, getting dangerously close to the ropes, Matt poked Price in the eye and quickly dropped him face first on his knee with the C-c-c-c Combo Breaker. Stone then dragged Mitchell to his feet and shoved him over the top rope, but the Standout landed on his feet on the apron and quickly headbutted the Straight Shooter before he could try to take him down. Jimmy was back to his feet, delivering a combination of quick strikes to Matt’s body. Mitchell came back inside the ring and joined Scrivens in beating up Matt. Double knee to the stomach and double suplex that saw Matt touching the mat exactly when the buzzer sounded and “Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide” by Gravediggaz hit the speakers.

Rumchata Ayano: “From Dundee Scotland, the Cannibal Queen… MORAG BEAN!”

Accompanied by Meera Makara, the pint-sized Scot made her way to the ring, no rush at all to get involved in the fight between the duo of Price and Scrivens and Matt Stone. The Canadian could use a hand to fend off the odd couple. When she finally entered the ring, Price charged and took her down with a shoulder to the midsection. Left one on one against Matt Stone, Jimmy was paying the price of the longer time spent in the ring and was hanging on for dear life onto the ropes as Matt was trying to drop him outside.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing now, from New York City, New York, Too Sexy… TIFFANY LYNN PAGE!”

As preannounced by the vignette on night one, Tiffany Page was making her debut tonight. She entered the ring when Price lifted Morag in a Gorilla Press Slam and tossed her out of the ring. He turned to meet the newcomer and didn’t realize that Meera caught her friend in midair and brought her back on the apron, saving her from the elimination. Her first experience with MWE was not as smooth as she expected, Mitchell’s rough style caught her off guard and forced her on the defensive. She hit one shot, a desperation elbow she calls All Eyes On Me that sent Price stumbling back into the ropes. He would have easily bounced back from this, perhaps with a counterattack even. If it wasn’t for Morag pulling down the top rope. Price never saw that coming, and without the rope supporting him, he tumbled out of the ring.

Rumchata Ayano: “MITCHELL PRICE has been eliminated!” (Page -1)

Morag entered the ring and was welcomed by the Prima Donna chick kick that floored her. Jimmy had almost managed to drop Matt on the outside, but the announcement of Mitchell’s elimination distracted him momentarily and allowed Stone to get back inside the ring. “Nothing Is Free” by Pendulum hit the PA system, and the fans couldn’t believe it.

Rumchata Ayano: “Entrant number twenty-two, from Hobart, Tasmania… KEELAN JAYCE!”

KJ was back, three months after the injury suffered at Coup De Grâce. And with him came back the excitement of his unique style of offense, fully on display from the moment he entered the ring. Flips and cartwheels were not only a fancy way to evade the opponents’ attacks, but also a mean to hit them in ways they couldn’t even think were possible, and therefore weren’t able to block. Always the showman, Keelan delighted the crowd with an Aussie Salute (Double Gainer splash) on Matt, even though the match obviously couldn’t obviously end with a pinfall. The next entrant was coming in in less than five seconds, and everyone was in for a surprise. Even Rumchata had to read it twice before announcing..

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing next… He is the General Manager of Riot, VINCENT MORETTI!”

Everyone stopped to look at the stage. And there he was, the man himself, dressed in the most throwback of the outfits. With his trusted cane in hand, Vince walked down the ramp and entered the ring. Everyone just stared at him, unsure what to do… He was still an authority figure after all, and nobody dared raise a finger on him… Until he did, attacking Morag with a right hand, leveling Tiffany with a clothesline, rocking Jayce with a headbutt that left him stunned for a moment and kicking Scrivens in the stomach. For Stone, Moretti had in store a cross punch, but the Abominable Showman blocked it and delivered the hardest chop to Vincent. The second came from Morag, a knife edge version that sent him spinning right into another chop from Keelan that knocked him down. Bravely, Moretti picked himself up but yet another chop, this time from Jimmy, brought him back on the floor. Only Tiffany hadn’t hit him yet, and even though she was the only one among those in the ring assigned to the Riot brand, She joined the party. Moretti thought it was safer to just hang on the bottom rope with his arms and legs, leaving the ring to the professional. And he certainly didn’t regret the choice when the next entrant was announced.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing now, from Skaro, the Seventh Galaxy… This is DALEK!”

You could see the terror in Vincent’s eyes as the Dalek rolled down the ramp. The rest of the competitors looked amused more than anything, underestimating the power of the creature, possibly deeming him as another one of Kimberly’s ruses. It most likely was, Daleks don’t exist right? But that didn’t make it any less dangerous. Once the staff finally overcame the difficulty to hoist the Dalek over the top rope and carefully putting him inside the ring, a procedure that took almost the entire two minutes gap between entrants, Dalek made his MWE debut, rolling in the centre of the ring. The rest of the competitors just looked at him as he began to emit colored lights. ”EXTERMINATE!” Dalek said to nobody’s surprise. What surprised everyone instead was seeing him starting to rotate on itself as he started spraying some red fluid to the competitors’ faces. By their reaction, it was chili juice. The Dalek then started bumping into the competitors, even scoring its first elimination as he sent Morag over the top rope.

Rumchata Ayano: “MORAG BEAN has been eliminated!”

Keelan was the first to clean his eyes from the spicy juice. The scene he saw was almost comical, Moretti running around the ring screaming ”Son of a bitch!” at the Dalek chasing him. There was nothing comical instead, or even remotely funny, with the next entrant. Their entrance was anticipated by “Demons” by Icon For Hire, a song that the MWE fans weren’t familiar with.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing next, she is the South African She-Hulk ALEXUS MEYER!”

The Valiant star, the first and only person to hold two titles at the same time on the LA based promotion was here in Phoenix tonight! Standing at 5’10, the powerhouse was surely going to be a game changer in this rumble and the biggest threat for those still in and those who have yet to enter. The first to realize this was the Dalek, who stopped chasing Moretti and focused on Alexus instead. ”EXTERMINATE!” he said. But this time, the exterminator became the exterminated. Meyer picked the heavy thing up and just got rid of it by throwing him over the top rope. Not a great look for the staff members who struggled to lift the Dalek when it entered the ring.

Rumchata Ayano: “DALEK has been eliminated!” (Meyer -1)

Vincent congratulated the guest and thanked her for saving him. He intorduced himself as the Riot General Manager and even went as far as offering her a contract to express his gratitude. Always ready to seize the opportunity, that one! But Alexus didn’t come here to negotiate a new gig. She was here to win the whole damn thing, and Moretti was on her way. Not for long though.

Rumchata Ayano: “VINCENT MORETTI has been eliminated!” (Meyer -2)

Keelan and Jimmy were fighting on the apron, Scrivens tried to surprise him with a low kick but Jayce jumped back to avoid it. As he landed on the apron, he saw Scrivens literally flying, courtesy of Alexus’ big boot. And now she was coming for him.

Rumchata Ayano: “JIMMY SCRIVENS has been eliminated!” (Meyer -3)

Alexus hit him with a clothesline that sent him flying backwards. The tricking background surely came in handy as Keelan backflipped into a handstand, incredibly saving himself from the elimination.

Rumchata Ayano: “Making her MWE debut tonight, SIOBHAN MAHONEY!”

Talk about a surprise! Siobhan Mahoney, seen on Overpowered show Havoc and recently on NVR’s Women Summit came to the ring to a decent pop from the fans. He immediately focused on the other debutant Tiffany Lynn Page, and her business card to introduce herself to her new fans was the Shillelagh spin kick to the blonde opponent. Matt had his hands full with Alexus, trying to stay away from her hard strikes. He ducked her clothesline and hit the ropes on the opposite side of the ring, catching Alexus on the rebound with the STOwned. In the meantime, Keelan had walked on his hands to the steel steps, bridging on them and finally completing this complicated save. The fans, obviously, applauded the gesture and, from the apron, he waved his hand to thank them. Matt, of course, wanted to ruin this moment by trying to eliminate the Aussie, but he was faster and doubled him over with a shoulder tackle through the ropes. With a sunset flip, Keelan entered the ring and sent Matt rolling at Alexus’ feet. The South African She-Hulk picked him up and obliterated him with the Thunderklap (fireman’s carry powerslam). Keelan knocked Meyer down with a cartwheel enziguri and then eliminated Stone.

Rumchata Ayano: “MATT STONE has been eliminated!” (Jayce -1)

Soon after, the entrant number 28 was announced.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing next, he is one half of Nightfall Rising, JAY GALLAGHER!”

Jay entered the ring with his Gall-press (springboard shooting star press) on Alexus, then engaged in an exciting acrobatic battle with Keelan. Tiffany had managed to get Siobhan on the apron, but she couldn’t complete the elimination as Mahoney slid back in the ring. The two fought back and forth a little longer until Meyer settled their differences with a double clothesline that sent both women over the top rope. Siobhan saved herself one more time, Tiffany wasn’t that lucky.

Rumchata Ayano: “TIFFANY LYNN PAGE has been eliminated” (Meyer -4)

Fourth elimination for Alexus and second to last entran on his way.

Rumchata Ayano: From Parts Unknown, THE EYE!”

The eccentric high flier entered with number 29, which left Dean Smith with the last spot.

The wrestler began to show signs of fatigue, the Eye and Jay took advantage of this situation. Gallagher almost took out Keelan, The Eye almost scored the upset with the towering South African. And finally, the last man entered the ring.

Rumchata Ayano: “Introducing last, he is the longest reigning Invictus champion, DEAN SMITH!”

The fans knew what they wanted to see. Dean Smith versus Alexus Meyer. A true clash of titans, and they didn’t disappoint the Phoenix fans. Hard punches, powerslams and backbreakers, stiff kicks. It almost seemed like the harder they hit the opponent, the more they would come back for more. Dean eventually had the South African at the ropes, trying to lift her and push her over the top rope. Alexus was fighting back with all her strength, and it was a lot. The Eye came to help Dean but she blasted him with an open hand strike to the forehead. Jay tried as well but a kick from Alexus sent him on his back. Only when they all joined forces, making this a group effort, they were able to eliminate the powerhouse.

Rumchata Ayano: ALEXUS MEYER has been eliminated!” (Smith -1, Jayce -2, The Eye -1, Gallagher -1, Mahoney -1)

The final part was utter chaos. Smith, with a double elimination, cleaned the field and there were three.

Rumchata Ayano: “THE EYE and JAY GALLAGHER have been eliminated!” (Smith -3)

Make it two, as Keelan kicked Siobhan out of the ring.

Rumchata Ayano: “SIOBHAN MAHONEY has been eliminated!” (Jayce -3)

Siobhan looked disappointed, but the applause of the MWE fans, positively impressed by her performance, were somewhat a consolation. In the ring, Dean was far more rested than Keelan and used his strength to defeat the last resistance the Australian put up. Wisely Dean targeted the back, the best way to limit those flips that were, without a doubt, the most dangerous weapon in Keelan’s arsenal. Backbreakers, a spinebuster and even a bear hug did the trick, Jayce was on all fours now, struggling to even get up. Dean helped him with that, lifting him in a powerbomb position. Unable to fight, Keelan did the only thing he could do in that situation, putting all his weight back to throw Dean off balance and drag him out with him. It took a couple of replays before the referees could give their verdict.

Rumchata Ayano: “DEAN SMITH has been eliminated! Therefore, the winner of the cross brand battle royale, KEELAN JAYCE!” (Jayce -4)

WINNER: Keelan Jayce
BY: Over The Top Rope Elimination, 61:33

Amy Maynard: "That's what you call a comeback! Three months after the injury suffered at Coup De Grâce, Keelan came back and outlasted 29 other competitors to win the battle royale."

Sir Figgles: "Ok, but you can calm down though. He already has a girlfriend."

Amy Maynard: "Again with this crap? Stop making things up, Figgles or I swear to God.."

Sir Figgles: "It's Easter, you don't want to bring the Big Man into this today..."

The scene opens up in a dark room where Joey Leclair is seen sitting on A steel chair in the center of the ring looking towards the ground.

Joey Leclair:
I fell into a burning ring of fire. I went down, down, down and the flames kept getting higher, and it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire… the ring of fire.

Joey slowly lifts his head making eye contact with the camera.

Joey Leclair:
I have been in all sorts of dangerous matches including death matches, but tonight? Tonight is much different, because it is a ring of fire, and the thing with fire is that it is uncontrollable, and cannot be tamed, and is very unpredictable, and lets not forget the fact that it is the most dangerous force in existance consuming everything in it’s path. So Mel tell me are you so determined to become number one contender that you are willing to put you well-being on the line?

Joey gains a big smirk across his lips.

Joey Leclair:
Who am I kidding? I know very will that you are more than willing, and so am I which means that tonight there is a very big possibility that win or lose? Neither of us walk out unharmed, and we will potentially both gain a few permanent scars at the fires blaze, and its a shame, because I have seen how much you like posting sexy selfies of your back lately, but your going to be ashamed to post any selfie at all when your body is covered in third degree burns

Joey lets out a slight chuckle.

Joey Leclair:
Seriously though I know how much this match, and beating me means for your career, but Mel like I have said a thousand times? I have no intention to losing to you, because I have my own personal goals, and those goals are to be the best, and to be the best in this roster, and to be the best that means I have to beat you, and it means I have to go on to capture the Millennium World Championship, and I won’t stop there, and I won’t stop until I have beaten everyone and prove myself to be one of the greats of all time!

Joey balls his right hand into a fist, and punches his left palm.

Joey Leclair:
Quite frankly my mindset, and confidence is on a completely different level, and it’s scary, because Mel you are going to come to realize that I am a force you have never seen, and tonight when we get inside the squared circle, and find ourselves surrounded by fire, and you hit me with everything you have, and come to realize it’s not enough? You are going to hear something that is gonna rock you to the core, and that is the chants coming from the few audience members we have in attendance? They are going to all be in unison when they chant Let’s go Joey!, and normally with so few people in attendance it lets out a small sound barely feeling the arena, but no not tonight, because those few people are going to be chanting so loud that it turns into fortissimo, and the noise is going to be so dominate that your boy toy who will probably be embarrassed to be supporting you, and you are going to be asking yourself why? Why are they so loud? Why are they taking Joey’s side so passionately, and Mel the truth of the matter is that you did nothing wrong, but more so the fact that my personality, and what I stand for is so contagious that like the fire surrounding the ring? It spreads uncontrollably, and it wont stop, because that is the essence of who I am it’s in my blood every single drop of it, and after the match when they raise my hand in victory, and your laying on your back disappointed your dreams being crushed, and being outperformed by someone you thought to be a nobody? You are going to realize that you awoke a fire in the wrong person, and you are going to be the first person to beat witness to a star being born, and when I go on to capture the world championship? Everyone will then know me as The Man of Millennium.

Joey pulls out a box of matches, and pulls a match out of the box.

Joey Leclair:
Now to quote one of my favorite video game characters of all time, Sephiroth!. Mel I thought of the most wonderful gift for you, shall I give you despair?!

Joey strikes the match, and throws the match behind him with his left hand and then raises his right hand, and snaps about the same time the match his the floor, and when the match hits the floor? A wall of fire appears behind Joey, and the camera zooms onto Joeys face where he is seeing with a big smile on his face as the scene comes to an end.

Standing alone in a darkened room, Melissa Reeves is surrounded by a circle of lit candles.

Melissa Reeves:
A lot of is made of records, milestones, achievements. Indeed, I’m as guilty as anyone for holding them in a higher regard than they probably deserve. But it’s information, it’s something you can analyse and learn from, it’s a way to see patterns. Looking at my own history, I see highs and I see lows. But looking at my Dark Web history? Well, that reveals that I’m unbeaten here.

She smirks a little.

Melissa Reeves:
I intend to keep that run going tonight. You wanted this, Joey, and you got it. It’s a fool’s errand though, and I mean that without any offence. But this match, tonight, where it matters? These are the situations where I excel. Add a chance at the MWE Title and you, sir, have put us in a situation where the odds tip my way.

Kneeling, she stretches her palm out toward the flames.

Melissa Reeves:
Not even this match gimmick will slow my roll. Ring of Fire? How fitting for the match where I burn your hopes to cinder. How fitting for the show where I rise, like a phoenix, reborn in the fire. Is it dangerous? Absolutely it is, but I’ve faced danger before. It’ll be a spectacle, let’s not pretend otherwise. But make no mistake, it will be my win.

She snuffs one of the candles out, smoking dancing upward from it. With one last look to the camera, she steps over the candles, leaving it to focus on the ‘ring of fire’ in her wake.

#1 Contendership for the MWE World Championship Match
Ring Of Fire

Joey Leclair VS Melissa Reeves

The sound crew might as well have taken a break for this match. Throughout the entrance of both competitors, the Arizona fans chanted Johnny Cash’ hit song so loud that it even covered the wrestler’s themes. As the name of the match suggested, flames surrounded the ring trapping the two competitors inside. Unlike the inferno match though, the goal is not to set the opponent on fire (although chances are it will happen), but pin or submit them. The chant was still going on by the time the match started, Mel and Joey both looked across the ring at each other from their corners, sizing each other up. Slowly the two met, Mel confidently telling the former Chicago Way champion that he got what he wanted, now it was time to show what he was capable of. Leclair smirked, pondering a reply but then quickly fired off with a right hook! The two exploded like a cat fight, trading off jabs and hooks in lightning fast counters. With the slight power advantage, Joey began to take the offensive, countering Mel’s swings and delivering his own. He was able to back Reeves into the ropes with consecutive punches, then went to Irish whip her, Mel cambe back to dodge an attack with a baseball slide under the legs, quickly popping back up and drilling Joey with a backstabber. The Aussie began to work the opponent on the ground, wearing him down with some holds until she switched into a crossface. Despite spending most of his time in MWE involved in the hardcore division, Leclair possessed a great technical background, wrestling his way out of Mel’s submission and standing up in front of the former Cloud Gate champion, who looked surprised about this new discover.

The surprises weren’t over for Melissa, who soon found herself in a rough spot. It’s not that she underestimated Joey, more like she prepared this match based on what she saw from the Prodigy in his stint for the company, but tonight she was seeing a different side of the Florida born. Joey picked Mel off the ground and locked in a double underhook. He then laid a couple of knees into her chest before flipping her over with a butterfly suplex. The flames went higher as Mel’s body bounced on the canvas, catching the fans and the competitors off guard. Leclair sprung off the ropes and connected with a sliding lariat, quickly hooking the leg for another near fall. He pulled Mel up and hit a violent uppercut that sent her into the ropes. She came back with a bicycle kick and this time it was Joey who was sent back into the ropes, right when the fire grew in intensity again. The flames grazed his skin, slightly burning his arm. He was still checking it when Melissa grabbed and twisted it, mercilessly dropping it onto her knees with an armbreaker. Leclair rolled away in agony, momentarily forgetting that he couldn’t leave the ring. The heat coming from the now low flames reminded him of that and he stopped just in time, slowly picking himself up. Mel delivered some chops to the chest and a quick combination of elbows and punches, finally dropping him down with one of her DDTs for a long two count.

Things really heated up by the end of the match, and not just because Melissa came this close to catch fire when Joey tried to throw her through the flames that, luckily, lowered to the minimum height allowing her to land “safely” on the outside. This left Mel with the problem to get back in the ring, having to go over the flames that were burning the apron. She found a spectacular way to do that, pulling out a ladder from under the ring and resting it obliquely on the top rope, using it as a ramp to launch herself over ropes (and the flames) and flipping in mid-air to enter the ring and take out Joey with a senton. Two birds, one stone. The fans were incredulous, on their feet for the former World Champion who was now unleashing hell on the Prodigy. Her infamous kicks came in rapid fire succession, strong and precise as always. Leclair managed to parry one and block her foot but she couldn’t avoid the enziguri kick that followed. With him down, Mel attempted the cover but Leclair raised his shoulder in time and the fight continued. She went for the Reaver Slam, he slipped out of his grasp and landed behind her back, catching her flush on the jaw with the Prodigal Elbow Smash as she turned around. He went for the cover now but only obtained a count of two. After dragging her up to her feet, he signaled for the Deity Wings (sitout butterfly facebuster) but took a moment too long with the setup and allowed Melissa to escape and grab his right leg, taking him to the ground. It wasn’t a random act, she knew that ankle had bothered Leclair in the past. And that’s why she picked that leg to lock him in the Iron Lock (heel hook). Joey tried to claw to the ropes but realized they were engulfed in flames. He tried to escape but Melissa’s grip was too tight, and he had no room to maneuver. Out of options, he eventually had to tap out.

WINNER: Melissa Reeves
BY: Submission (Iron Lock), 16:38

Peyton Holland: "And she did it again! Melissa Reeves just earned herself a ticket to challenge Seth Iser, or Duke Andrews, for the World Title."

Ambra Monroe: "I must say I'm impressed by Leclair. He really gave Mel a run for her money and proved that he belongs in the ring with the very best."

Peyton Holland: "Sometimes, when someone focuses on the hardcore side of the business, people tend to label them as inferior wrestlers. That's rarely the case, surely not true when it comes to Joey"

Ambra Monroe: "That much is true. We'll see what the future holds for him now."

Backstage in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, AZ, Henri Black sits, eyes closed and leaning his elbows on the table and his hands clasped before him.

Henri Black:
As I’m sure you are all aware, a lot has happened these last few weeks. So bear with me while I lay it all out, it helps to speak out loud and order my thoughts sometimes, but don’t worry there is a point to all of this.

Henri shakes his head and sighs heavily.

Henri Black:
First, I let myself get complacent and Pierce Manning stole my championship, an oversight I intend to rectify later tonight, and then the next night I took Megan’s head off and sent a message to the Triumvirate in the doing.

Henri flashes a sad smile at the mix of emotions the memory triggers.

Henri Black:
But you all know me, I’m not the sort to send a message and then just back away, I had to explain the meaning to make sure it got across successfully, so on Riot, I came down that ramp and laid the matter out for everyone to see… and then I took Pierce’s head clean off, and I’m still not entirely sure if he got the message.

Recalling what transpired next Henri chuckles, and reaches off camera.

Henri Black:
Then there was the chip incident… Seth still hasn’t forgiven me for it, as if I’m somehow able to control Daleks. Okay, sure, we might have gotten away unharmed if I hadn’t told that Xenocidal pepper shaker that Seth was a Time Lord but I just can’t not push the envelope when presented with that kind of opportunity, and frankly ever since I find myself with the strangest addiction.

Henri pulls his hand back into the frame with a familiar casket shaped cardboard box from which he removes a jet black corn chip.

Henri Black:
I just can’t help myself, once you get past the mind-numbing heat they aren't so bad. But I digress. After the Chip incident I teamed up with my old rival Glory Braddock, and Glory I thank you for the offer of assistance tonight but I have to handle this personally, and at the end of that match I once again took Pierce’s head off and won the match, sure we may not have been the legal competitors but honestly this isn’t even the first time that has happened. I pinned Devon Hearst the same way before Dark Web II, it’s practically tradition at this point.

Henri rolls the chip across his knuckles absentmindedly.

Henri Black:
But Seth, you might be right, you quite possibly were the legal man in that match, or maybe it was Megan, I watched back over those last few minutes and I honestly have no clue who was legal, but what I do know is who got the pinfall, though I did essentially steal that victory so I’m going to make you an offer.

Henri looks at the chip and shakes his head.

Henri Black:
When Dark Web is done, if you still have that Millennium Championship, that ticket to compete freely on both brands, I invite you to meet me in the ring. Champion versus Champion and we can settle this once and for all, no Triumvirate, no Dalek, just you and me.

Tossing the death Dorito into the air Henri catches it in his mouth and bites down with an audible crunch.

Henri Black:
I’ll be looking forward to your answer when I’m done with Pierce, try not to disappoint me.

Riot Championship Match
Last Man Standing

Amy Maynard: “Here we go, Figgles.. The Riot championship is on the line, Manning versus Black, act three.”

Sir Figgles: “Ok, I’m saying this once and I’m saying it now. Stop being so excited about this. It’s a Henri Black match, it’s going to end with him winning after some bullshit call from the referee, or with him losing and bitching for days.”

Amy Maynard: “Well, for one, referee Charles is not officiating the match. And the more I look at Domino Effect, the more I’m convinced there was something off with that knee strike. And remember how Seth gave Pierce something before the match?”

Sir Figgles: “Blah blah blah, I don’t wanna hear this.”

And the two competitors didn’t want to hear the referee reminding them of the rules. They began throwing punches as soon as the referee brought them to the center of the ring, before Manning even had the chance to hand him over the belt. And the Riot championship became an integral part of this match as it was physically used by the champion to knock the challenger down. Pierce crouched down on Henri’s chest, pressing his knee on the Blackstar’s sternum and yelled at him that he wasn’t going to take it away from him. Black didn’t agree and he, literally, took the ten pounds of gold from The Man and allowed him, in his words, to kiss it goodbye by smacking his mush with it. Pierce went down on his rear, a trickle of blood crawling down from his busted lips. Henri dropped the title on the floor, immediately picked up and handed it over to Rumchata by the referee, and placed the sole of his boot on Pierce’s face, pushing it down with a stomp.

Sir Figgles: “Look at the disrespect.. That’s the Riot champion for goodness sake!”

Amy Maynard: “Not for long, if you ask Henri.”

There was a plethora of foreign objects hiding underneath the ring, but at least for now, Henri didn’t seem interested in going for them. He, instead, tied up his opponents to the ropes and just punished him with countless knife edge chops, stopping only when his pectorals assumed a dark shade of red. He then hit him with a running knee strike, and did it after lowering his knee pad partly to show that he didn’t need to hide anything under it, partly because it’d hurt more.

Amy Maynard: “Looks like it’s time to take things up a notch for Henri, he’s gone fishing for weapons”

While Black was looking for toys under the ring, coming up with a table. In the meantime, the referee had freed the champion from the ropes and when Henri entered the ring between the second and top rope, he was fed a knee to the face by Pierce who then dropped him down with a rope hung ddt. Manning saw the table and set it up against the corner, picking up Henri from the floor and whipping him into the same corner. Henri was back first against the table and the champion charged at full speed spearing him through it. With the Blackstar down between the rubble, Pierce demanded that the ref would count him out, but at five the challenger was already up to his feet with the help of the ropes. Manning went for a punch, Henri ducked it and threw him over the top rope with a back body drop. From the apron then, he jumped and dropped a double axe handle on his head.

Amy Maynard: “More toys are about to come into play, this doesn’t bode well for Pierce.”

Chairs. A lot of them. But rather than using them, Henri threw them in the ring forming a menacing pile right in the middle. He then slammed Pierce’s head into the steel post and rolled him under the bottom rope, taking his time to get back in the ring as he soaked in the fans chanting “Henri’s Gonna Kill You.” Which was, ultimately, his goal. Perhaps he took too long and by the time he got back in, Manning managed to grab a chair and he drove it into the challenger’s mid-section and then cracked the back of his skull open with a violent shot. Henri started bleeding profusely as he lay down motionless on the mat. Once again the count started, reaching seven before he even began to stir up. A first sign of life, a feeble hope that Pierce tried to shut down immediately with more chair shots to the back.

Sir Figgles: “This is more like it! Come on champ, break him!”

Amy Maynard: “You know, no matter how this match ends, you and Henri are going to have a long talk, I feel like.”

Pierce tossed the dented chair outside, taking a step back as the referee counted Henri out once again. It took the Australian far less this time to crawl to the ropes and use them to get up to his feet. Before he could do it, Pierce grabbed another chair and stuck it into the corner, between the middle and top rope. His goal was, obviously, to throw Henri head first into it but as this kind of thing often goes, his plan backfired and he was the one taking the blow, not once but twice. Henri then set him up for a powerbomb and dropped him on top of the pile of chairs.

Sir Figgles: “Get up, Pierce… GET UP!”

Amy Maynard: “Let me guess… You took another bet?”

SIr Figgles: “No, not on this match… I just can’t take another Henri Black’s title reign.”

Figgles must’ve been happy to see that Manning got up at a count of eight. Battered and bruised, sure. But still in the match. Henri shook his head and threateningly told the champion that he should’ve stayed down before beginning to clean the ring from all the chairs bar one. Manning stumbled into the corner, using a kick to stop Henri from advancing. He hit the Blackstar in the midsection, but that only delayed the inevitable. A knockout chair shot to the crown of the head, and that wasn’t even the worst part. He stuck his head into the chair and walked back in the opposite corner.

Amy Maynard: “This is bad… He’s going for the Black Sacrament, if it hits this… Pierce is going to be out for a lot longer than ten seconds..”

The champion managed to remove the chair from his head and toss it at the charging challenger, halting his run. Then, without wasting a second, the Riot champion hoisted him on his back and dropped him with the TBTM (Gory Neckbreaker). To beat the count, Henri rolled under the bottom rope and used the apron to keep himself up. Once again the fight spilled on the outside, the two of them began trading punches, and forearms, and kicks and elbows, even headbutts too.

Amy Maynard: “They’re just going to punch each other out until they can’t stand!”

Sir Figgles: “And we… Wait a second, where the hell are you going?”

Black won the exchange and was now dragging a limp Pierce toward the commentators’ table. Figgles and Amy left the area as Henri put the opponent on the table and climbed up as well. His movements left no doubt, he was setting him up for the same move he used to defeat Glory Braddock back at the Anniversary show, the Para Bellum. The impact was brutal, and while Pierce definitely got the worst of it, the move took a lot out of Henri as well. He started moving at eight, getting up to his feet for a moment right before the ten. As soon as the bell sounded though, he collapsed to the mat once again, not even able to celebrate his win.

WINNER: Henri Black (NEW RIOT CHAMPION)
BY: Last Man Standing, 23:10

Sir Figgles: "I quit."

Amy Maynard: "Really?"

Sir Figgles: "No, but I want to... Why did he win? Why?"

Amy Maynard: "Because he destroyed our table and still managed to get up before the ten is the first reason i can think of."

Sir Figgles: "The fans should've voted for Charles. He wouldn't have let this happen."

Amy Maynard: "I'm sure nobody is happier that Charles didn't have to call this match than Charles himself."

Sir FIggles: "You're probably right."

We then head backstage to the locker room where outside of the glitz and glamor of the Triumvirate space this is more of a bare bones affair. There’s just the locker where he has the MWE World Heavyweight Title dangling above where the champion is sitting. He’s slouched over on the bench as he’s contemplating everything that’s happened. Probably not of late but considering he has to go out to the bar to fight Duke Andrews it’s more of a life thing. He quickly taps the copper bracelet on his left wrist signaling his sobriety.

Seth Iser:
You think this is a fitting place for my demise, isn’t it Duke? Hell, this is what you were pushing for. One where you have all of these visions of glory and then execute the dream vengeance protocol where you have your fun, get a little more loose with that liquid courage and then after finding that one way to break me down or get to that point where you think I’m done. Whereas with all sincerity...I didn’t have a preference. So I’m glad you got what you wanted where you can be most...comfortable. But everything I’m about to say...it’s going to come to pass.

He sneers to the camera for a moment before gesturing for the camera man with his taped finger to come closer. There’s a cold chill to his tone as he shakes his head with some disappointment evident on his face.

Seth Iser:
Such a shame Duke...it really is. But you failed to learn from your mistakes. You failed even...to learn from mine. It’s also a shame that you have equal focus on what you want to drink as you do getting your ‘rightful’ revenge and all that usual bile you’ve been preaching for a little while now. You’re just...not aware of the bigger picture and what’s going on around you. Never have, really. It’s why you keep finding yourself in this situation. A situation you begged...and pleaded for.

His eyes narrow slightly as he leans forward a little more toward the camera with that familiar scowl etched on his face.

Seth Iser:
Why am I so hard on you though? I was once like you...really I was. A free spirit. Hell, a hedonist only out for his own pleasure. Now I’m sounding like my father when I say those things...but I guess I’m starting to understand his viewpoint a little more. But there’s always a price for that as well. One I’ve saved you from having to pay not once but twice. All because you couldn’t get out of your own damn way. Just I hope you have more control then I did when I was...a hedonist. But I do fear you’re beyond reason right now. You are out of control and trapped in your own damned mind.

He rocks back on that chair a little bit as his face shows some of that weight of the hardship as he again fidgets at that copper bracelet for a second before eyeballing the camera sternly.

Seth Iser:
My old man was drunk on religion and the bottle. The latter kind of came true for me as well. This is common knowledge. But alcohol wasn’t the only drug of choice I had. I more than dabbled in things I really shouldn’t have...and you mix that in with finding trouble and well...you have yourself one bad kid. One kid who probably should’ve been a statistic in the land of professional wrestling. A poster boy for...what not to do in our sport. How did it all come ahead? It wasn’t just showing up to work a little inebriated and sobering up by ring time. It wasn’t getting arrested for public intoxication on a couple of occasions or the resulting bar fights that might have happened. There was a tipping point for all of that for how out of control I was...I didn’t see it then. God damn it...I’m Seth Iser. I’m a pro wrestler...built like a tank at the time and nothing could stop me!

And then for a brief moment a wry smile comes across his face as he’s just all too familiar with who he was at that point. It’s faint and brief before that vanishes all too well as he considers his next words.

Seth Iser:
My uh…

He glances at his ring finger briefly before again returning toward the camera as he pauses and even swallows, he isn’t fully comfortable with this part but he’s telling it.

Seth Iser:
My career...it wasn’t exactly going swimmingly. A lot of miles between Japan and the States and we were scraping by. My first wife, God rest her soul, started to see how out of control I was becoming. I put her through so much stress because of how wild I was...and I don’t think she could handle it anymore. I don’t blame her, I really don’t. But after a loud disagreement...she left. No more second chances for me. We were done...and I knew it. It was my fault too at the time but I couldn’t handle that. I went to the bar that night. I didn’t just get trashed...I dabbled in those things you really shouldn’t...then went to work the next day...with some excess. I felt...awful then. And then the next thing I remember...well it’s common knowledge now but I’ll recount what I know myself.

The veteran then lets out a sigh as his face has contorted into a pained expression letting out some of that actual grief. He hangs his head down in some shame.

Seth Iser:
I felt water blasting down...I couldn’t move. I figured I took something too pure and ODed in the shower. I was dragged out of that shower. And just like that...I was fired. No second chance with that company, no nothing. In the span of twenty-four hours because I lost control...I lost my wife. I was going to lose my kid...I lost my job...the pay. I lost the right to find a new job in this field of professional wrestling for a bit. And above all…and I say this with all sincerity.

He just hands his head, his voice even cracked a little bit mentioning how close he was to losing his kid.

Seth Iser:
I lost myself. I lost my spirit. Brother...I lost everything.

He glances at the camera with an emptiness there.

Seth Iser:
As tempting as it was...in that situation to blame everyone else. Blame my first wife for leaving...blame the drug dealer for giving me the drugs. Hell...blame the company for firing me...it all hit me there. That? It’s all my fault. It’s my fault I went down that road...and put myself in that spot. It’s my fault that I nearly...lost my daughter and repeated the cycle. That...was all on me. If I...continued that cycle and she’d go off resenting her parents like I had...that’s all my fault.

Again, that sincerity is coming through as he’s just letting out all that brutal honesty that he often targets others with and he’s going after himself with it instead.

Seth Iser:
And that wasn’t an easy thing to come to...and instead of blinking in front of that mirror...or breaking it into pieces...I took the steps I needed to in order to become clean. That new mentality started opening brand new doors for me. Step by step...from detox to rehab...I started to get my life. I finally...saved myself.

He finally relaxes slightly as his arms loosen up and a half of a smile creeps on his face not out of arrogance or spite but genuine relief as he again taps the copper bracelet on his wrist.

Seth Iser:
And I’m approaching sixteen years to the anniversary of getting said life back. I’ve won four separate World Championships...two recently and at the same time now. This old man has done well for himself I’d say. But what does all of this...have to do with you Duke? As I stated: you’re repeating my mistakes. Maybe not in the same manner but...all you ever do is blame everybody else...when you can’t see what is going on around you. And people like Karen to even these god damned fans are enabling your behavior further. It’s a damn shame.

And then there’s a glare creeping across Iser’s face the moment he mentioned Duke’s name. He’s finally letting out a little more of that temper as his face reddens slightly and his right hand has tightened into a fist.

Seth Iser:
You ran headfirst trying to go through a brick wall. I gave you one assist with Devin. Then...you were so concussed you were damn near puking in the middle of the ring. You were done and I intervened to save your career and quality of life. The man you booked for Pick your Poison, Christian Michaels...the man YOU said failed you in that match is as much of the reason why YOU still have your career because he, along with seveal others asked ME to make sure YOU didn’t do something stupid in that damn situation the moment they took Kelsey out. Yes, I earned the championship. Yes, I could’ve waited until you were stretchered out after you were spiked on your head while you were ALREADY CONCUSSED but I intervened and saved you again. Hell, I even agreed to put the title on the line against you...no whining or complaining. I looked out for YOU!

He finally can’t contain it any further as he takes a more threatening step toward the camera. He’s in control, yes...but it’s a scary, controlled anger.

Seth Iser:
I SAVED your fucking ass, Duke Andrews! And THIS is how you want to repay me? By getting greedy and overstepping your bounds? You ASKED for this in the voting...you WANTED to be in this damn Bar Room Brawl because you want to be comfortable while also trying to flaunt what I once was. Hell, I’d even say you want to be the devil that cashes in on my soul. You want to hurt me the same way you think I hurt you when I won THIS…

He reaches over behind him and grabs the MWE World Heavyweight Title hanging from his locker before shoving it in front of the camera.

Seth Iser:
You ain’t the damned devil, I’ll know it when I see it...but you ain’t it. You’re not complete enough to be it.

He grits through his teeth, that anger still apparent.

Seth Iser:
Let’s tell a few more truths: I wasn’t even trying to hurt you then. And you think that you should be where I am at! But let me tell you something...as long as you go around blaming others for your own mistakes...you’ll never be fit to be where I’m at. It isn’t a matter of ability...you have that. It isn’t a matter of longevity...you earned that. It’s YOUR mindframe because YOU can’t accept your own damn shortcomings and actually work toward them. YOU can’t see the bigger picture all because you can’t get out of your own goddamn way! And unlike YOU...I wear what I was...and what I am today like a badge of HONOR! And that’s what’s helped take me to THIS! At FORTY God-damn years old...where most of the people in our sport are LONG retired! I am THE FUCKING MAN!

He puts the championship over his shoulder and taps it aggressively before returning his right into a fist. But he takes a breath and calms himself ever so slightly.

Seth Iser:
You honestly think I wounded you then? Took away what was yours as you claim...all that bullshit you’ve spouted because you don’t know how to handle it. Wait until I’m actually going to try to hurt your ego. And it’s all because you set yourself up for this. You couldn’t see what’s going to happen next...and I’m going to get out of that god damned bar with my sobriety intact, my pride still where it’s at...and the championship still around my waist. And as for your ego?

He sneers in the camera, a darkness coming over his face as the reality is setting in not for himself but what he thinks for his opponent.

Seth Iser:
You’ve become a victim of your own self...your own greed. Wallowing in the muck of your own avarice. And when you wash the stench of this booze...wake up to this empty feeling...I hope my words sink in. It’s come to pass. It’s your fault...and for your own good...you need to look in the mirror rather than point the finger. Otherwise...you’ll end up what I would’ve been...a what if...and a statistic.

He harbors that last sentence with more venom but he’s done speaking as he walks away from the camera and he’s ready to go to war with who he once was...his old demons, and one of the toughest bastards in the industry for the company’s greatest prize.

MWE World Championship Match
Bar Room Brawl

The camera took us inside a bar nearby the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Obviously no patrons and no owner were present on the scene, just Seth, Duke and the referee Charles. Around them a nice looking ambient with a pool dominating the room, tables and a well-stocked bar that, by any means, would not be the same after tonight. No commentators in place, but the four voices of MWE were ready to call the action from their booth. Technically, it was the Millennium's duo one since the desk Amy and Figgles were sitting at didn't survive the fury or Henri Black, but you get the picture.

Peyton Holland: “The last chapter of Dark Web III is something you don’t see everyday. The World Championship is about to be defended in a bar. And no, I’m not kidding.”

Ambra Monroe: “A stipulation that raised more than an eyebrow, especially among those close to Seth Iser.”

Amy Maynard: “And their concern is understandable. Back in July, he reached the 15 years sober milestone, being stuck in a bar with Duke Andrews is far from an ideal situation.”

Sir Figgles: “I doubt Duke came here for a bender with his longtime friend. It’s all about the gold, and I’m pretty sure that he would rather smash a bottle on the old man’s head than pouring one down his throat.”

Amy Maynard: “I hope so.”

It wouldn’t be a bar room brawl if it didn’t start with a fist fight, and the two competitors lived up to the fans expectations. Hard punches started flying back and forth, none of them was giving up an inch to the opponent, standing their ground as they kept hitting the other. When it became clear that the champion was getting the best of this exchange, Duke stomped Seth’s foot and rocked him with a headbutt that caused Seth to stumble back a few steps, checking his nose from potential blood loss. Duke grabbed a stool and threw it at the champion who managed to duck it by a whisker. The chair crashed against the wall behind the World champion, breaking in thousands of small pieces. Seth took his eyes off for a moment distracted by the sound of shattering wood and left himself open to a spear from Duke that took him down to the mat. The challenger was on top of him, reaching with his hand to grab a pool cue and push it down against Seth’s throat. The grizzled veteran managed to grab hold of it, pushing in the opposite direction to relieve some pressure for his throat and breathe more easily. As he did so, he shifted and moved under the opponent's body, managing to get himself in a position where he could push up his legs and flip Andrews off, sending him flying on the bar floor. As a plus, he still had hold of the cue, aiming at Duke’s head with a homerun swing. The Epitome Of Perfection squatted down and avoided the shot, kicking Seth’s knee to force him down. Standing up to his feet, Andrews then delivered his Killshot (V-Trigger knee) to the face of the champion, knocking him flat on his back.

Ambra Monroe: “Here comes the first cover of the match.. Only a two.”

Amy Maynard: “The match just started, but these two are definitely not holding anything back.”

As Duke went to pick Seth up, the MWE World Champion hit him with the pool cue. Not the greatest shot but hard enough to stagger Michigan’s Favorite Son and get him off himself. The second blow was much stronger and it caught Duke on the back leaving a red bruise across his shoulders. So hard that, actually, it broke the cue in half. Disappointed, Seth mumbled something about cues not being as resistant as they used to be anymore and discharged it on the floor. There was no time for fancy and elaborated offense, this was not the right place to showcase his technical prowess. Seth just picked Duke up and tossed him across the room with a fallaway slam, destroying a table and a couple of chairs in the process. The champion hooked the leg and made the first cover of his match, Duke kicked out in two.

Sir Figgles: “Do you think Duke and Seth classify as natural disasters? You know, for the insurance…”

Peyton Holland: “I’m sure the company will cover all the damage.”

Sir Figgles: “I know Grace has deep pockets, but…”

Nothing was safe on their path of destruction. Several tables suffered the same fate, swept away by the two heavyweights brawling all over the place. Punch after punch, Duke forced Seth back where the match started. He was loading another punch when Seth kicked him down below and dropped him on the floor with a lariat. As Iser loomed over him, Duke grabbed the broken cue and stabbed Seth’s chest with it. The champion groaned in pain as blood started dripping from the wound on his right pec. It wasn’t deep, doubtfully it did any serious damage but it sure hurt like hell. Andrews was up to his feet and pushed The Deity Of Destruction all the way back against the counter, where he followed with some hard chops and an uppercut that sent Iser on the opposite side. Andrews hopped over the counter and grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the lower shelf. He took a sip before he pinned Seth to the floor, holding the bottle over him.

Peyton Holland: “Oh God, no…”

Ambra Monroe: “This is taking it too far.”

Amy Maynard: “Sixteen years.. Please Charles, do something! Don’t let him do it!”

Seth looked up at the opponent and, for the first time and for a brief moment, you could see fear in his eyes. Then he started to fight back, shaking his head and trying to wiggle free, but Duke kept him down.

And then he poured the whiskey.

But he didn’t aim at Seth’s mouth, he poured it right on the chest. The scream the World Champion let out as the alcohol burned on contact with the open wound was barely human, and it will most likely haunt the nightmares of the MWE fans for nights to come. Duke laughed it out, putting the bottle down on the counter and dragging Seth up, hitting him with the Red, White & Blue combo.

Sir Figgles: “We have a new champi…. NO! Seth kicked out! How in the world?”

Duke had a few words with Charles, accusing him to be too slow. Iser took advantage of this and broke an empty glass on the challenger’s head. And a second one, then a third for good measure, leaving Duke a bloody mess. To add insult to injury, Seth grabbed a can of Sandstorm Energy™ and forced it down the challenger’s throat. Andrews spat it all out, looking disgusted and cursing the world champion for this. Finally leaving the area behind the counter, the two took once again the center of the room, and that was where Seth tried to pin the challenger getting very close to the three with the Pillar Of Truth. Andrews got a shoulder up and now it was Seth who shared a word of two of the poor referee.

Amy Maynard: “What they’re pulling each other through… How can they even stand?”

Duke looked like a man possessed when he got up to his feet, going at the World Champion with a flurry of punches, ending the sequence with something you don’t see everyday from the Epitome Of Perfection, a standing dropkick that sent Seth against the dartboard. Yes, Andrews did launch a dart at Iser who, although rocked, managed to tilt his head to the side. And yes, for what it’s worth, he hit the bullseye. A second dart bounced against Seth’s shoulder and the world champion finally moved away from the board. Andrews charged head first and took him through a door, leading them to the restroom. They fought on the (hopefully clean) floor, rolling over and jockeying for position for almost a minute. Then Seth found himself on top of Duke and clocked him with a forearm to the temple. Rather than making the cover though, Seth grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the nearest stall, kicking the door open.

Ambra Monroe: “This is like high school over again..”

Sir Figgles: “I bet Duke was the one giving swirlies back then though.”

Ambra Monroe: “Seems like karma to me then.”

As you can imagine, he wasn’t happy with this. The humiliation lit a fire in him and he brought the fight to the champion one more time. Seth wasn’t expecting this second, or fifth, wind from Andrews and stumbled back. Duke then grabbed him and launched him against the mirror, shattering the glass and giving Seth a new cut to stitch up at the end of the match. The blood loss wasn’t enough to keep him down though, and Seth was definitely frustrated now. Back into the main room they want, Duke kept constantly pounding at Iser pushing him back to the pool table with the clear intention to put the big man through it. They were both standing on top of it, the challenger looking to set Iser up for the Andrews effect when his eyes spotted someone sitting at the counter, a glass of straight whiskey in his hand.

Sir Figgles: “What the hell? Who let a civilian in?”

Peyton Holland: “Hold on a second… That’s Gareth Prichard?”

Sir Figgles: “Who?”

Amy Maynard: “You may know him as Neal Durden, co-winner of the Battle Of The Briefcase with Seth.. We haven’t seen him since the Hell In A Cell at Coup De Grâce, I thought he retired..”

Iser hit the distracted Andrews with a low blow, lifting him upside down and planting him on his head with the Black Magic (Tombstone Piledriver). The table didn’t survive the impact, collapsing under the weight of the two men. Seth slowly dragged himself on top of Duke and made the cover, keeping his eyes on Gareth. As Charles’ hand touched the floor for a third time, Neal raised his glass and downed his drink, leaving a ten dollars note on the counter before exiting through the door.

WINNER: Seth Iser (STILL MWE WORLD CHAMPION)
BY: Pinfall (Black Magic), 29:55

Peyton Holland:
It's over! Seth Iser retained!

Amy Maynard:
I'm still shocked he even managed to lift Duke for the Black Magic. How could he pull that, after the amount of punishment he took? Last but not least that horrible cut on the head..

Ambra Monroe:
This is the man who fought a Three Stages Of Hell and a Hell In A Cell in a week span. And he's forty years old.

Sir Figgles:
You know what his secret is?

Amy Maynard:
No, don't even try it. He doesn't drink Sandstorm Energy™.

Sir Figgles:
That you know of...

Amy Maynard:
I'm not letting you belittle what he just accomplished with one of your jokes. These two men just took each other to the limits. Seth, particularly, just faced his demons. Show some damn respect!

Peyton Holland:
Well said, Amy.

Ambra Monroe:
Are we going to talk about Neal.. I mean Gareth? What was he doing here?

Peyton Holland:
We could, but unless you know something we don't, there's not much to say here.

Ambra Monroe:
I just find it curious that he came back, and choose a Seth Iser match to make his presence felt.

Amy Maynard:
I guess we'll have to wait to get the answers to those questions. Our time is up, thanks for joing us for Dark Web III and goodnight!

MWE Presents: Dark Web III (night 2)

Post by gvb on Apr 6, 2021 16:06:11 GMT -6

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